Trust: Friend Or Foe?
by Lightningscar
Summary: Not a love story. Our heroes have returned to the Leaf, and they can finally mourn their losses. But even during dark times, there will be reason to smile, laugh and celebrate. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I wrote this story some time ago under the name "Firedragon" on another site. But I have edited some words and such before uploading here.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot and Ocs

"blah" = speak

'Blah' = thinking

Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Where, Why and Who? Naruto is Missing!!

Naruto woke up with a burning headache. He was lying on the floor. He slowly opened his eyes and took a look at his surroundings.

The wasn't any furniture in the room, and it was barely illuminated. Actually, the only light was coming from a light bulb that hung from the ceiling over his head. There were no windows and only one door, which was only barely visible because it was grey-black. It looked like it was made of metal.

"Where am I?" he murmured vaguely "And what the hell happened?"

He tried to remember.

"Oh, yeah" he murmured. "We were celebrating that Neji and Tenten is a couple now. We were on a restaurant. And… we eat ramen, some fish I can't remember and ice cream."

He concentrated harder. "Afterwards, we went at a bar. Sakura, Sai, Kiba, Hinata, Chouji, Ino and I got some sake and beers. Hehe. I wonder who became most drunk? Later on Hinata and I were kissing in an alleyway, when someone started shouting. What was it again? Oh yeah. It was Neji and Tenten trying to calm Lee down. He has never been able to drink. Wait a sec. Lee, drunk? He never drinks. Well, perhaps he took one to be social."

Naruto chuckled a little bit. Then he went serious and concentrated once again.

He remembered that the only reason that he, Neji and Tenten didn't have to become serious in subduing Lee was because of Sakura. Well, it would be more accurate to say that it was because of Lee himself. At some point during his drunkenness, he had grabbed Sakura's t-shirt, around the chest, and torn it apart, revealing her pink bra. Everyone in the street had got a good look, before Sakura snapped out of it, and punched Lee square in the face which caused his nose to break. Unfortunately for Lee, the impact with the wall and ground caused that he broke his left leg. After that, Sakura had walked home fuming, making everyone around her trembling with fear and waiting for her to explode.

Remembering this made Naruto laugh. But his laugh was abruptly stopped by a searing pain in his chest and stomach.

"What the hell…" Naruto murmured.

As he had tried to press his hands to the searing places, he realized that he couldn't. He took a glance down himself, and discovered that he was tied by some weird looking chains.

"Chains??" Naruto mumbled as he sat up. This also made him cringe a little with pain. "Why the hell am I tied up? And why the hell do my chest and stomach hurt?!"

He closed his eyes once again, and concentrated harder.

"Now, what happened…" he murmured under his breath. "I remember that after Sakura knocked Lee out, I went back to the alleyway where Hinata was. She seemed a little dizzy and strange, but I guess that was because she had too much to drink. Perhaps I should ask Granny Tsunade, she probably knows the effects of alcohol better than most." Naruto smirked a little at this, before returning to concentrating. "Hinata and I walked back to my apartment. I took a shower, and when I came out Hinata had stripped down to her panties. So soft, so beautiful." Naruto felt the tears pooling in his eyes by the memory. "Her breasts were so soft, and I could feel her heartbeat. She pushed me back to my bed and gave the most passionate kiss. Oh boy. If I told this to Ero-sennin he would have material enough for one of those boring books Kakashi-sensei enjoys so much. I wonder what kind of training awaits me, now that I have cleaved those leaves and that waterfall? "

Naruto started to cry now. The image of the proud Kakashi was more than he could handle. It didn't become any better by remembering Kakashi's words, before he went to celebrate with the others:

-Flashback, start-

"Naruto, wait a sec."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"If you meet to our next training session and aren't by your five senses, I will personally give you a longer hospital stay than I ever have had. Got it?

At this Naruto swallowed hard, and stammered "Y- Y- Yes, Kakashi- sensei!"

-Flashback, end-

'Heh, right now I would rather stand before a very pissed Kakashi-sensei and take the beating.' Naruto thought, before returning to his attempt to figure out what happened.

"Hm. I remember that Hinata took of my shirt and then…" Naruto stopped his murmuring for a moment. He was sure he just had felt someone in there. He took a glance around, but he couldn't see anyone.

Naruto narrowed his eyes: "Who is there?"

No response.

'Hm. Strange.' Naruto thought, before closing his eyes again. His eyes snapped wide open in an instant. Now he remembered!

Suddenly Hinata had jabbed him with her Gentle Fist, blocking his chakra circulation. Then she had stabbed him three times with a knife. Two times in the stomach, and once in the chest. Then someone had knocked him unconscious from behind, and now he was here.

Naruto suddenly became aware that he only had his pants on; the chain was starting to chafe in his skin. Especially around his naked chest, elbows and waist.

'But why would Hinata do something like that?' Naruto thought. "Well, anyway, time to get the hell out of here!"

Naruto soon realized that he couldn't use a jutsu that would require him to use hand seals. The chains were too tight for that.

"Very well. In that case I will try to use the first two steps for Rasengan." He murmured. He started focusing chakra into his right palm, but stopped almost instantly with a hiss of pain. He looked down on his right thigh. His palm was placed closely to his thigh, and the gathering of chakra had burned a palm's area on his thigh.

"Damnit!" Naruto cursed under his breath. "Fine. Then I will try emitting my wind chakra from the waist and up. I have never tried it before but this isn't the time to have second thoughts!"

Naruto let out a scream of agony. He had just started emitting his wind, when the chains started to glow red. They stopped the moment he stopped emitting his chakra.

"I wouldn't try that again, if I were you." a voice snickered. It sounded familiar. "Those chains are infused with fire natured chakra, and they respond if you try using your wind chakra. And perhaps you know this, but wind is weaker than fire."

Naruto glared at the person standing just outsight his line of sight. The person stood just on the other side of the door, which had been opened.

Naruto was shocked. He hadn't noticed the door open. He narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"You don't need to know." the person said. "Now, go back to sleep." Then the person threw a needle, which hit Naruto right above the heart.

Naruto felt he hit the floor head first as he closed his eyes, and heard the voice through the darkness:

"Oh, one more thing. Don't bother to try to use the Nine-tails' chakra. The seal on your forehead will stop that right away, and it will make the chains respond."

"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, help me." Naruto whispered, tears filling his eyes. "If you get me out of here alive, I will do whatever you want and stop acting stupid." With that he passed out.

______

"WHAT!?!"

The windows in the Hokage's office rattled.

"Lord Hyuuga, calm down!" Tsunade yelled.

"The hell I will!" Hiashi yelled, his voice filled with anger. "It has been three days! The ANBU can't get a word out of her, and still you keep her in the hospital?!. Let her come home, and I will deal with my daughters problems. Then I will report to you what I find out.

"Lord Hyuuga, Hinata is currently in a state of shock. She is no shape for a third degree interrogation." Tsunade said as calmly as she could.

"The only things the ANBU have found out with the 'Time - reversal jutsu', is that Hinata Hyuuga was in Naruto Uzumaki's apartment and was the one using the kunai. Everything else is in blur. Besides, the evidences speak for themselves. Hinata Hyuuga was found almost naked in the apartment, entangled in the sheets that were soaked in Uzumaki's blood. Her fingerprints are on the kunai. It has furthermore been confirmed that the blood on her hands is Uzumaki's, so is the blood on the kunai. Clearly, she is the one who committed the crime." a masked ANBU member said. "Now we just need to find Uzumaki's corpse."

Hiashi glared at him, and started moving towards him. However, Sakura was faster.

"How dare you?!" she hissed through her teeth, lifting the ANBU from the floor by the collar of his uniform. "How dare you speak of Naruto and Hinata like that?! How dare you jump to conclusions like that?!"

"Sakura! Tsunade said loudly. Sakura didn't react at all.

"And you." she said glaring at Kiba, Shino and Kurenai. "You are her teammates and jounin commander. Don't you have anything to say?"

"Sakura!" Tsunade said loud and sternly. "Calm down and let that man go. Otherwise, leave this room."

Sakura looked at the ANBU with narrowed eyes. Then she looked at Kiba, Shino and Kurenai, all of them looking dumbfounded and shocked. Then she let go of the ANBU, who now was gasping for air with a low "My apologies" directed at Tsunade and team 8.

"Good." Tsunade said in stern and yet calm voice. "As the ANBU pointed out, the visible evidences speak for themselves. However, I would like to wait for Inoichi Yamanaka's report. He is trying to break down the many mental barriers the ANBU have encountered in Hinata's mind."

As on cue Ino Yamanaka came bursting in, skidding to a halt in the centre of the office, visible and audible for those gathered.

"Dad has succeeded in breaking down one of the barriers!." Ino said, trying to catch her breath.

"And?" Tsunade said, after hushing the others, eager to hear more.

"According to dad, the barriers aren't created by Hinata's mind. They were placed there by genjutsu." Ino said, still having trouble catching her breath.

"Genjutsu?" Tsunade frowned "By who?"

"We don't know yet." Ino said. "But what father saw is quite disturbing."

"And what was that?" Tsunade asked.

Ino glanced nervously at Sakura. Sakura saw this, and said impatient: "What did your father see, Ino? Spill it!"

Ino closed her eyes. "According to dad, it was only a glimpse, but there was no mistake. He saw white hair and a single Sharingan eye."

At this everyone's eyes went wide open.

"Impossible." Sakura whispered

"But why would Kakashi do such a thing?" Kurenai said in a low voice, completely horrified that her fellow jounin and friend would do such a thing.

"Who knows?" the ANBU said. "We found white hair in Uzumaki's apartment, but it hasn't been confirmed that it is from Kakashi Hatake. The medics are working on that as we speak."

Tsunade buried her head in her hands, but her voice was clear when she spoke: "Get Kakashi Hatake here. Kurenai, see if you can help Inoichi break down the barriers."

"One problem Lady, Hokage." the ANBU said. "Hatake has gone missing. It has been confirmed that he left the village one hour before we found Hyuuga in the apartment, but there has been no word from him since then."

"WHAT?!" Tsunade yelled, making the windows shatter. She calmed down a bit. "I don't care how you find him, just do it.

"Yes, Lady Hokage." The ANBU said, before disappearing.

________

Meanwhile, a cloaked person was wandering down a dark corridor. He was happy, yet wondering if it was smart to come here alone. But on the other hand.

He chuckled. They wouldn't dare to harm him. If they did, their goals would be forfeit.

He stepped inside a circular room, where four were facing him. One of them seemed to recognize him without opening his eyes. But when he did, he narrowed his eyes ominously, giving the fully developed Sharingan eyes a more dangerous red glow.

"You sure have some nerve there, old man." He said with a mix of murderous intent and amusement in his voice.

End chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Conversations and test

"Oh boy. Well, I might be older than you boys, but that is hopefully not reason enough for you to drop your manners and be rude, is it… Itachi?" Orochimaru spoke softly, dropping his hood with a cold smile on his lips.

"Hehe. True, old man. You are older than us and perhaps more experienced, but you are outnumbered." Kisame said, drawing his sword. "I must admit that I'm surprised you dare to show up here, alone. What happened, did the reptile brain take over?"

"No, Mr. Sushi, it did not." Orochimaru said snickering with a hard stare and a smug smile at Kisame, enjoying seeing how Kisame grit his teeth in a furious snarl.

There was a glimpse of fire and suddenly one of the persons stood behind Orochimaru, a kunai near his throat. "Back to business. Why are you here alone and unarmed?" the man said in a rough snarl.

"And who is this boy now? Has the Akatsuki gone mad?" Orochimaru said, narrowing his eyes and glaring over his shoulders. "Besides, isn't it common sense and good manner to introduce yourself before a fight?"

The man behind Orochimaru snarled and stepped into Orochimaru's field of vision. Orochimaru raised an eye brow. This man was huge. As huge as Kisame, if not bigger. His skin was more red than blood, his white eyes emitting more murderous intent than Itachi's and Orochimaru's ever had and his teeth just as sharp as Kisame's. He was wearing a large scythe on his back, the blade was blood-red and with a strange glow. But most remarkable was the horns on his head. White horn was pointing 30-40 inches right in the air, with long black hair between the horns.

"The name is Devalan. I'm from the Village Hidden in the Fire. Is that introduction enough?" The man said with malice in his voice.

"What? Which Village?" Orochimaru said. "Never heard of it."

Devalan looked furious. "Of course you haven't!" he shouted. "The Village Hidden in the Fire is located in a volcano high in the north. No one ever comes there. So of course you have no clue what I'm talking about."

Orochimaru smirked smugly. "I see. That sounds worth investigating after I have finished my business here.

"And what makes you think that you will survive coming here?" Devalan said smirking drawing his scythe.

"Well, if you harm me, there will be one Uchiha less." Orochimaru said, glancing smugly at Itachi. "But it would be a shame. He is developing well, so he would become a good vessel. Not that I need him any longer."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. But before he could do or say anything, Devalan and Kisame charged towards Orochimaru, screaming:

"Like we care!!"

Orochimaru just smiled. "Does that go for a host to one of the tailed beasts, too?"

Devalan and Kisame stopped dead in their trails, glaring at the smiling Orochimaru.

Itachi closed his eyes." We are listening." he said, before opening his eyes again, which were burning with hate, anger and perhaps a little concern.

Orochimaru smiled and nodded at the three younger ninja. Then he glanced at the one person who so far had remained silent and smiled.

"Ah, Zetsu is here too. Fine Then my message will reach the Leader faster.

"_**Just talk**_." the dark site of Zetsu said, and the white site continued: "Make it quick."

"Very well. Here is my proposal." Orochimaru said in his most 'loveable' voice, with a cold smile on his lips, eyes settled down on Devalan.

__

Kakashi woke up with a yawn. He looked around in the clearing and smiled. She had left. There were still some embers in the campfire from last night. He looked at his watch: it was 9 a.m.

He yawned once more and stretched his arms behind his head.

'Well, time for breakfast I guess.' Kakashi thought, looking for some sausages, eggs and bread in his backpack.

A sound behind him made him jump to his feet and turn around on the spot.

In front of him stood 5 or so ANBU members, a few members of the Hyuuga clan with their Byakugan activated. In front of them stood Asuma and Kurenai, kunais drawn.

"Hey guys, what is this fuss all about?" Kakashi asked smiling.

"What the hell do you mean by that, you bastard?!" Kurenai screamed furiously.

"Eh? Bastard? What is going on here?" Kakashi asked with no trace of a smile left on his face and a very concerned and confused look in his eye.

"Don't pretend you don't know what is going on! Thanks to you, Hinata is in the hospital with shock and a powerful genjutsu placed on her memory!" Kurenai shouted with anger and despair.

"Hinata is in the hospital? Powerful genjutsu on her memory? When? Who? How?" Kakashi said with complete confusion and concern spread across his face.

"You son of a… " Kurenai said in a low voice and started charging towards Kakashi. She was immediately stopped by Asuma.

"Are you insane?!" he whispered in her ear, struggling to hold her back and covering her mouth. "Even with his Sharingan covered, Kakashi isn't an opponent to take head on like that!"

Then he looked at Kakashi, furrowing his brow. "Kakashi, four days ago Hinata was found in Naruto's apartment."

"And what has that to do with me?" Kakashi said, raising a brow in surprise and nervously looking at the Hyuugas, who seemed quite pissed and impatient. "Why would I have interest in what Naruto and Hinata are doing when they are dismissed? I have no interest in their sex life whatsoever!"

However, inside his head he was chuckling slightly. 'So, Hinata finally confessed her love for Naruto? About time. And with a little help from me. However, it doesn't sounds like Naruto to take advantage of her in that way. Not the Naruto I know anyway. And if he did, I better take a little chat with. It sounds to me that Jiraiya have had a role in this matter too. I'm gonna murder him for having such a bad influence on Naruto!'

__

Jiraiya sneezed and thought out loud. "Oh boy. There have been too much of that lately. There are two possibilities: Either I have caught a cold; or I better stay away from the Leaf Village and neighbourhood for some time."

Unfortunately, his voice gave away his position, and the girls he had been spying on while they were bathing in a lake, ran away.

'Damnit' he thought.

__

"Hey, Kakashi are you listening?" Asuma said with a frown, still keeping Kurenai for charging recklessly. "And what do you mean by their 'sex life' anyway?"

Kakashi sighed. "Asuma and Kurenai; I will explain what I mean by that when we return to the Leaf Village. But before that, I would like to have a word with Naruto."

"You didn't listen, you idiot!" Kurenai shouted with a furious stare at Kakashi. Apparently, Asuma had removed his hand from her mouth, willing or unwilling. "Asuma just told you! Hinata was found almost naked in Naruto's apartment, entangled in blood soaked sheets and blood on her hand's! Furthermore, the kunai which was found in the apartment, had Naruto's blood and Hinata's fingerprints on it! Naruto is missing, Hinata is hospitalized, and yet you stand there like you don't care at all?! How can you even call yourself for a man of honour and a friend, you son of a bitch?!?!"

Kakashi just stood there for moment as Kurenai's words sunk in. His expression changed. Then he removed his headband, revealing his Sharingan and glared dangerously at Kurenai, his voice and eyes filled with anger: "How dare you?" he hissed. "How dare you accuse me for not caring at all? I would give my life for them!"

His voice and eyes was filled with such anger that the ANBU and Hyuugas took a step away from him. How could one man scare them like that, just with his voice and eyes?

Kurenai fell to her knees, completely broken down by Kakashi's words and gaze. She started sobbing.

Kakashi, still angry like hell, calmed down a bit and covered up his Sharingan again. But he was ready to reveal it again. "IF you want to fight, then it's fine by me." he said staring at those who were gathered. "But let me warn you; I will not hold back if you attack me. Nothing shall stop me from going to the Leaf Village and set things straight."

With that, he bounded into the trees behind the gathered, at full speed towards the Leaf.

Asuma looked with concern on Kurenai. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Kurenai nodded. "Let's go."

And with that, the rest of them took off in the same direction Kakashi was headed.

___

Naruto woke up yet again, his headache gone and eyes narrowed because of the bright light.

"Arg, who the hell was that needle-throwing bastard?" Naruto cursed under his breath.

"Watch your mouth Naruto or else I will be less nice on you." a snickering voice said. "And sorry for not waking you up, but you are easier to transport, if you don't try to kick people."

"Come forth where I can see you, you son of a bitch." Naruto said growling, just realizing that he was lying on a cold metal table, tied up like a cross.

"With pleasure." the voice said. Its owner stepped into Naruto's field of vision, smiling.

Naruto's eyes went wide with surprise and anger. "YOU!"

"Yes, me." Kabuto said, still smiling. The grey haired young man smiled down at Naruto, while adjusting his glasses. "And I just told you to watch your mouth Naruto-kun, or else I wouldn't go easy on you. Especially since Lord Orochimaru prefer his 'subjects' to be in a healthy state as possible when he starts his tests. Especially you, since you are a nice bargain chip. And he would like to test your abilities, without the Nine-Tails showing up."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in anger and fear, even though it was only himself that could feel his fear.

"Let me loose Kabuto, and you will feel my abilities." Naruto said staring at Kabuto, his fist clenched.

"Oh no, I don't think so." Kabuto said smirking. "I already felt some of your abilities, and it hurt like hell. No, I prefer testing your abilities without putting my health on the line. And let me warn you: I will be nice to you, compared to Lord Orochimaru. Even though you used such foul language."

"Coward." Naruto hissed, gritting his teeth. Then a thought came to his mind. "Where is Sasuke?"

Kabuto just looked at Naruto, and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know which room he is in, but I know that he is training something, somewhere in this base. Besides, he isn't the boy you know anymore. Now, are you ready for the test?" Kabuto said smirking.

Naruto just stared at him before answering: "Bring it on, you loser!"

Kabuto just glared at Naruto, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled and went over to a table outside of Naruto's line of sight. He picked up 6 pipes of different size, three massive candles which where about 40 inches high and 40 cm broad and walked over to Naruto's left side. He placed the three candles about ½ m from the massive iron table. Apparently, the table was cross-formed all the way down to the floor.

Kabuto placed the candles mid for Naruto and near his head and feet.

Naruto noticed now 7 pipes placed in the opposite wall. It seemed that the three pipes in middle were placed just opposite the middle of the iron table, and they seemed to be a bit longer than the rest. Kabuto walked over to the right wall, where 7 pipes pointed at the table. He put three pipes in the pipes in the wall. It was the ones in the middle and the two pipes farthest out. The pipes Kabuto put in there, narrowed the holes for whatever that would come out of them. He then did the same with the pipes in the left. They reached almost over to the candles. When he was done, he lit the candles.

Naruto followed him with his eyes. He had a bad feeling about this

"Well, sorry to tell you this, Kabuto: Unlike you, I'm not interested in dating boys. So don't bother preparing a romantic dinner."

Kabuto flushed for a moment at Naruto's remark. But only for a moment He turned his head towards Naruto and smiled.

"You think you can provoke me to kill you? Well, it won't work. Besides, Lord Orochimaru wouldn't be pleased if I told him that I had killed his new subject." Kabuto said, with barely contained anger.

Naruto smirked in response, causing Kabuto to scowl with venom.

"We will see how long you can keep that face." hissed Kabuto, turning on one of the handles to the left.

There was a weird smell, before flames started licking at the end of the table, right under where Naruto's feet were bound. The heat was incredibly, but Naruto didn't flinch.

Kabuto turned on the last handles where there were pipes, and almost instantly flames engulfed the nether regions of the table, heating the iron.

Naruto felt the heat after 5-10 minutes. Especially his back hurt as his skin started to react to the heated iron. Yet he remained silent

Kabuto nodded and took a note, walked over to the right wall and turned on one of the handles. Instantly water spurted out.

The water hit a spot under Naruto's feet, engulfing his legs in hot steam.

At this Naruto flinched a little, but otherwise there was no reaction.

Kabuto took another note and turned on another handle. More water came, creating hot steam around Naruto's arms.

Naruto let out a groan of pain.

A note more and the last handle were turned on.

More water came, engulfing Naruto completely in steam, causing Naruto to scream in pain.

__

Somewhere else, Sasuke closed his eyes as Naruto's screams of agony reached his ear.

End chapter 2

AN: I know that it might not live up to the M rating so far, but it will come in later chapters. Reviews appreciated. Also, if someone would like to be a beta-reader and correct my grammatical errors I might make, please let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: From Ash to Fire. Akatsuki Discuss and Moves! 

"So, Orochimaru wants us to destroy the Leaf Village and in exchange he will give us the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails? Curse him! This complicates things." The Leader said with a scowl at the gathered. "Even though we are strong, the Leaf Village is not an easy prey. And he will actually get two birds with one stone, as both we and the Leaf will decrease in power."

"I agree." Devalan said cursing. "But what other choices do we have? If he kills the boy, the Nine-tails chakra will be lost. And if that happens, our accomplishments so far and in the future will be in vain."

"Why didn't Master Sasori take this guy out? He had plenty of chances, hm." Deidara muttered.

"Because Orochimaru is, despite of his appearance and the rumours that have been about him, not one to mess with." Itachi said with closed eyes, almost completely lost in his own thoughts.

"But he retreated from his battle with you, didn't he Itachi-san?" Kisame said with a chuckle.

"He did. But only because he was taken by surprise by my Sharingan. If it hadn't been for those eyes, the outcome might have been different. Each member in this organization has either a bloodline limit or some special trademark. Orochimaru on the other hand, has achieved his skill by intelligence and training."

"You talk like you envy that man, Uchiha." an armour clad man said, his voice dripping with disgust. Even though it was only his helmet, hands and feet that were visible, people had to assume that his entire body was covered by grey armour. There were razor sharp steel 4 claws on his gloves, starting from the wrist and they ended about 16 inches from the tip of his middle fingers. Two holes in his mask revealed two red eyes without pupils.

Itachi opened his eyes, and looked at the man with a gaze that expressed disgust and contempt.

"I don't envy Orochimaru, Shredkill. I'm just stating the facts. Facts that need to be taken into consideration if we are to solve this issue, without getting in a disadvantage." Itachi said, closing his eyes once again.

"Then, here is my solution to this matter: All of us storm his hideout, kills everybody we meet and take the Jinchuuriki. That way we won't come in a disadvantage and we will have one headache less." a person looking like a kid said, flashing a blinding white smile. He had brown eyes and tan skin. His hair was green with a trace of red in it. He was a little smaller than Itachi and with an ear ring made of gold in his right ear. His headband declared he was a former ninja from the Rock Village, just like Deidara

Devalan, Shredkill and Deidara nodded in agreement and started to move toward the exit together with the kid-looking person, when Itachi spoke.

"That is a fine plan you got there, Murdgaki… If you want to end up dead and put the Jinchuuriki's life in danger before you have to, that is."

The kid-looking Murdgaki and the others froze in their trail. Murdgaki slowly turned around and started staring at Itachi, anger and a desire to kill in his eyes.

"Then, what do you suggest, Itachi?" He hissed through gritted teeth, his right hand near a katana on his back. "Speak quickly or you will never speak again!"

All Itachi did was putting some of his hair behind his right ear, and spoke with a sarcastic voice without opening his eyes:

"Big words. You barely got your ring, and yet you think you can take me on like that? Not that I would stop you if you really want to, but I'm afraid you won't be able to sit down for a while. If you survive, that is."

At this provocation, Murdgaki draw his katana and charged at Itachi blinded by fury.

Itachi didn't even bother to use his Sharingan when he opened his eyes. He made some hand seals and said: "Fire element: Grand Fireball jutsu!" before disappearing

Murdgaki had to jump for his dear life as the blazing fireball sped towards him. But while he was airborne, Itachi reappeared right behind him.

"SHIT!" Murdgaki yelled, before Itachi's kick hit his coccyx. Murdgaki groaned in pain as he hit the floor face down. It didn't become any better when Itachi landed on top of him, plunging his knee into Murdgaki's coccyx. Unfortunately for Murdgaki, Itachi's knee slid a bit, squeezing Murdgaki's ass and thus pressing Murdgaki's manhood down on a sharp rock.

"Well then." Itachi said with cold amusement in his voice, turning the groaning Murdgaki around and placing him in a sitting position, so they were face to face. "Have you had enough? Or do I really have to become serious, you little shithead?"

As a mean to enforce his statement, Itachi activated his Sharingan.

Murdgaki slowly put his gaze down, acknowledging his defeat. "I give up" he muttered under his breath.

Itachi nodded and released his grasp from Murdgaki's collar, causing Murdgaki's head to hit the floor, as the pain on his back was too much for him to hold his sitting position.

"Cruel as always, Brother." Kisame said with a smirk, looking in the direction of Murdgaki.

"He asked for it." Itachi said with a shrug. "Besides: The kid has to learn his place in this organization."

"Well put Itachi." The Leader said with a smile. However, his smile made it evident that he was pissed. "But now we have another problem: Our power just decreased. Power we will need if we are to fight Orochimaru and the Leaf."

"With all your respect Leader, but we don't need Murdgaki's power in this matter." Itachi said without humour, as he watched Murdgaki trying to get up to stand. Murdgaki heard Itachi and glared angrily at him.

He was angry because Itachi just indirectly called him useless and the humiliation just a moment ago.

But he was smart enough to keep his trap shut.

"Then, what do you suggest Itachi? Just what are you thinking?"

"As I already pointed out, if we attack with our gathered strength, some of us will most likely die an unnecessary death. We would be too obvious. And we would endanger out true target's safety, the Jinchuuriki Naruto Uzumaki." Itachi sighed before continuing. "If we on the other use few people to sneak into Orochimaru's hideout, our chances for getting Uzumaki without Orochimaru noticing us are much higher."

The Leader looked at Itachi. His logic was flawless, but his plan wasn't.

"Sounds reasonable. But there is one thing." The Leader said with a frown. "If we were to run into Orochimaru or otherwise being detected, then what?"

"We are all powerful. It's just to decide the most suited persons." Itachi said with a tiny smile. "We are all more or less capable of taking Orochimaru on alone or till backup arrive, if it comes to it."

"Indeed." The Leader nodded, agreeing on that one. "Then we will send Shredkill, Devalan, Deidara, and Kisame."

The four mentioned people smiled, and said as one: "It will be an honour."

"If I may, Leader" Itachi said in a calm voice. "I believe that out of the four mentioned people, only Kisame is fitting for this mission."

The Leader sensed something in Itachi's voice. 'Hm? What is this?' he thought. 'Defiance? Jealousy? Distrust? Or… is it possible… fear or concern?' All those thoughts were in his mind when he spoke.

"What is the matter with the other three, Itachi? What are you suggesting?"

Itachi closed and opened his eyes, choosing his words carefully.

"Well, for a start there is Devalan's unruly blood thirst. He almost killed Orochimaru before he had given us his message about his capture of Uzumaki." Itachi said, noticing Devalan's stare, his jaw twitch and his right hand approaching his scythe on his back. "Shredkill might be able to stop Devalan, but Shredkill is about as impatient as Sasori. And Deidara? If you were told about the incident in the Sand, you will get my meaning. He tends to cause more ruckus than necessary."

Itachi and Leader looked at the three mentioned. They all looked like they were about to charge towards Itachi.

"Hm. What are you suggesting then Itachi?" the Leader asked curios, while he tried to figure out Itachi's motives.

"Send Kisame, Zetsu and me. Zetsu will be on lookout from the outside, while Kisame and I will search the hideout." Itachi said, closing his eyes as if in a silent pray.

'I wonder what this guy true motive is.' The Leader thought before sighing.

"Very well Itachi. You will lead the group, which will consist of Zetsu, Kisame, Shredkill, Devalan and you. Any objections?"

Shredkill and Devalan scowled at Itachi, but remained silent. Kisame just nodded saying that he understood and accepted the members for the mission.

Zetsu, who had remained silent all this time, spoke.

"_**Understood**_." the dark site said, but the white site continued and pointed at person who stood in the shadows. "What about her?"

They all glanced at the woman stepping out. She was slender and had a well-proportioned figure, green-grey eyes, dark blue hair that reached her shoulder. Her skin was slightly tan. But she was not a member of Akatsuki, for both the cloak and ring was missing. She wore a black cloak with yellow stripes. She was about as tall as Kurenai, if Itachi was to judge.

"What about her?" The Leader asked.

"She would enjoy coming along on this mission." Zetsu's white site said, while the dark answered. "_**She isn't a member of Akatsuki**_!"

"Let her join. Blackrose is a good girl and she is strong."

"_**We have no ring for her**_."

"Let her assist us on this mission."

"_**NO**_!"

"Why not?"

"_**Because…**_"

"Wait a sec. What do you mean by 'we have no ring for her'?" The Leader asked his voice yet again filled with anger.

Zetsu just stood still before his white site answered. "Sasori's ring was passed on to Tobi. But when we found Tobi's corpse, more than just his head missed. The ring wasn't to be found anywhere."

The Leader frowned. "What? What did you say?"

Zetsu's dark site repeated. "_**Tobi's ring was missing**_."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Any ideas about what happened?"

Zetsu turned his yellow eyes at Itachi, his face unreadable as ever. His white part answered.

"I'm not sure. From the characters of the damages, I will guess Tobi's killer used a fire jutsu to finish him off. Then he simply took his ring, for purposes I hardly dare guess on."

The Leader sighed. "This is just great. As if the trouble with Orochimaru wasn't enough. Now we also have to find that ring."

He thought for a moment, contemplating on what to do. Then he came to a decision.

"Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, Devalan and Blackrose; you will deal with the issue concerning Orochimaru and the Jinchuuriki. Deidara will take Murdgaki to a healer and Shredkill will investigate the place where Tobi was found, in case there are any clues to the ring's whereabouts. This is my final word. Now go!"

The Akatsuki members scattered at full speed, leaping into different directions, Itachi with a slightly worried look on his face, but no one else than himself noticed.

___

Naruto woke up, his body aching all over. He looked down himself. His torso was a bit red, but otherwise okay. Well, not entirely okay. Besides for the red colour, Naruto was now able to see the scars where Hinata had stabbed him. Right next to the heart and one stab near each kidney.

Naruto thought for a moment. 'Hey, wait a sec. If I can see the scars, then my chains…'

Naruto looked down himself once again. The chains were gone.

"What the hell…?" he murmured "Why are the chains removed? Hey, if the chains are gone then I should have no trouble removing that seal from my forehead!"

Naruto reached for the scrap of paper with the character for 'suppress' on his forehead. He got hold of one of the corners and pulled. It didn't budge at all.

He tried again, harder this time. Still no result. After 20 minutes, Naruto was forced to acknowledge that he couldn't get rid of that paper on his forehead.

Instead he started thinking, which was hard because he was dizzy.

'Three stabs… one near the heart… one near each kidney… jeez, did Hinata try to kill me? Hold on a sec… Hinata wouldn't dream of doing such a thing… would she? Even if that was the case… she wouldn't be able to stab with such precision. Unless she tried to, but couldn't because she was drunk… Or did she hit where she did on purpose? In that case, I'm gonna have a little chat with her as soon as I get my hands on her… If I ever get out of here alive.'

Naruto finally realized where he was, and how grave the situation was. It all suddenly made sense. It explained why his body wasn't in a lot more worse shape than it was: Kabuto had healed his injuries from the torture that had lasted for… Naruto didn't know for how long the 'test' had lasted.

And the seal on his head. Naruto thought for 5 minutes. He could come up with two possibilities.

1) The steam had glued the seal to his forehead.

2) Orochimaru had glued it on with one of his insane jutsus.

He tried to stand up. Almost as soon as he got up, the world started to spin. After some few seconds, he puked and fell back on the floor

Then he heard them. Voices. And they were approaching.

"… risk they will come and try to take the boy by force are a bit high Lord Orochimaru. If all of the Akatsuki members are to attack, what odds for survival have we? Maybe you and Sasuke-kun have enough power to hold them at bay, but…"

"Dear Kabuto, rest easy. All the Akatsuki won't come. According to my information, they lost another member and ring some days ago. Meaning there can only be 8 true Akatsuki members. And I doubt they will send some of their subordinates.

Another reason to why they won't come with full strength is Itachi. Itachi knows that I might have some tricks up my sleeve. And even if they get their hands on the boy, they better be careful with that seal on his forehead."

Orochimaru's voice and what he said caused a shiver to run through Naruto body. And now another thing made sense. Kabuto had called him a 'bargain chip'.

"So, Orochimaru has abducted me as a mean to negotiate with the Akatsuki. And he seems to be quite confident in this damned seal on my forehead. This is like to choose between plague and cholera. Orochimaru or Akatsuki? Orochimaru won't kill me right away; he will just torture me until I can't take it anymore. Akatsuki will kill me, but there I know how long time it will take. But I have a bad feeling about this seal. Apparently, Orochimaru has a thing ready for them if they try to take me with them."

Speaking of the Devil…

The door to Naruto's cell swung wide open, Orochimaru and Kabuto standing in the opening.

Orochimaru looked at the puddle of vomit in front of Naruto, then glanced at Naruto and then at Kabuto.

"How long did you say he was tested and what was the level?"

"About 6 hours with 3 fire and 3 water pipes, each pipe opened to half power." Kabuto answered with a cold smile on his lips. "I had to be a little rougher than expected; He kept insulting me and using his foul language, equal to the language of Sasuke-kun's."

Naruto glared at them. "I didn't insult you. I just stated the facts."

Kabuto's face turned red with anger, but he kept quiet.

Orochimaru glanced at Kabuto, before returning to Naruto. "Oh my, you sure are a little rebel, aren't you boy? How delightful."

He licked his lips in his usual way, before starting to move towards Naruto, who slowly stood up preparing to fight the Sannin.

The fight was short. Five well placed kicks and punches from Orochimaru, and Naruto was subdued and coughing up blood.

"Well then. Kabuto, take him to the room you used before and fix him up a bit. Oh, and prepare for stage one. Sasuke-kun, would you please clean up our guest's room?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru" they both said.

As Naruto was dragged off by Kabuto, he made eye contact with Sasuke for a second.

Sasuke just looked at him before closing his eyes and walked into Naruto's cell.

Soon Naruto was tied on the table from before. Then he looked both to his left and right and noticed something that nearly made him pass out. All 14 pipes on the walls had pipes to focus the water and the gas or whatever it was they spit out.

Tears started to fill Naruto's eyes, but Kabuto didn't seem to notice.

Soon Orochimaru entered the room, a smile on his lips.

"Kabuto, are the instruments ready to take notes for you?"

"Instruments, my Lord? I thought I was going to take them?" Kabuto asked confused.

"No, no, no dear Kabuto. There won't be time for that. You will make sure he doesn't die or pass out with your medical ninjutsu. Of course you will do it from a distance while the steam is on. I would like to see for how long he can sustain it with your healing abilities helping him out. Tomorrow we will test him without. Oh, and of course we will only use about 25 % of all the pipes full capacity. Meaning you will turn all of them on, but only at 25 % power. Afterwards, he is at your disposal; as long as you don't kill him and make sure he is ready for the tests tomorrow, that is."

Kabuto nodded. He prepared some computers and attached some wires in them, before returning to Naruto, attaching the wires to Naruto. He answered seeing Naruto's gaze, and smiled noticing Naruto's tears.

"These wires are for we can follow your condition; Heartbeat and so on, so I can make sure we don't lose you or stop the test before Lord Orochimaru says so. Besides they record them, so we can move on to next stage and get more information." he whispered in Naruto's ear. He then returned to Orochimaru. "We are all set and ready to go."

"Good. Let's us start. Kabuto, start the fire."

Kabuto bowed and moved to turn on the fire pipes. Immediately flames licked around the table, and soon the table was so hot that Naruto screamed in agony.

Orochimaru smiled. "Kabuto; start helping him now. Sasuke-kun, turn on the water"

Kabuto just nodded and started using his medical ninjutsu from a distance.

Naruto's eyes went open in shock in the mention of Sasuke's name. He hadn't noticed him at all. He tried to scream something to Sasuke, but couldn't as the only sound that came out was screams of agony.

Sasuke looked at Naruto for a moment, before turning on the water pipes. He seemed completely unaffected by Naruto's screams of pain, as searing hot steam engulfed Naruto.

But one thing was his outside. Another was his inside.

'Kakashi-sensei…Sakura-chan… Grandma Tsunade… Pervy-sage… Anybody… HELP ME!!' Naruto thought as the torture went on for what seemed to be forever.

___

Kakashi was walking swiftly down a hospital corridor on the 1st floor, his eye fixed on the door for the end of the corridor. He narrowed his eye dangerously as the ANBU guard draw his katana and started to move towards Kakashi with the words.

"Kakashi Hatake, you are under arrest for…"

Kakashi didn't bother to reveal his Sharingan. He turned around on his left foot, and kicked the ANBU in his right temple with his heel. The ANBU fall to the floor, completely knocked out.

Kakashi pulled the door open in one swift moment. He walked straight for the bed in the right corner farthest from the door where some young sninobi and a man with long black hair where gathered around.

The man looked up and narrowed his eyes dangerously at Kakashi, activating his Byakugan.

"YOU!?!" he shouted and started to move towards Kakashi, his eyes burning with hatred and anger. "HOW DARE YOU COME HERE?! I'M GONNA MURD…"

Kakashi's right fist hit Hiashi square in his face, causing Hiashi to fly 4 meters through the air, out of the window, where he down fell down in a particular large dustbin.

"Get… the… hell… out… of… my… way… you…IDIOT!" Kakashi growled his voice and eye glowing with anger and something that was near murderous intent. He glanced at the youngsters near the bed, causing them to jump out of the way in fright. "I have some kids I need to help."

End chapter 3.


	4. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 pt 1

Chapter 4: Escape or Hell? Part 1/2

Kakashi sat down on Hinata's bed and looked at her with concern in his eye. He removed his headband and opened his Sharingan, while his right hand moved for Hinata's forehead. A sound behind him made him turn his head.

Neji had activated his Byakugan and stood in a fighting stance. Kiba stood right next to him, kunai drawn and also ready for battle. Sakura was on her feet too, but she hadn't drawn any weapons and she just looked at Kakashi. Tenten on the other had found one of her scrolls and was ready to fight. Lee was following the whole thing from his bed just opposite Hinata, his leg and nose still in bandages. Apparently Sakura hadn't tended to his injuries as much as she normally would have done.

Kakashi sighed, covering his Sharingan. Then he looked at the four younger sninobi, with a mix of concern and anger in his eye.

"I don't want to hurt you kids. But I will if you interfere. And let me warn you; I will not hold back. I have two kids to save. One of them is very precious to me and the other is precious to you."

Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Lee just glared at him, not knowing what to do. Sakura on the other hand had her own dilemma: She had heard Ino tell them that it was Kakashi who had placed this genjutsu on Hinata, causing her to stab and injure Naruto very badly; And Hinata was still hospitalized, unable to speak, drink or eat. But her eyes were always open, looking at every person who had come to visit her those past five days. And she was able to notice people spoke to her, even if she didn't answer.

On the other hand she had her sensei, which had saved her life more than once. The sensei that would rather die than abandon them. That was what he had said during the mission where she, Naruto and Sasuke had been terrified of the thought to fall prey to Zabuza.

Not knowing what to do or to think was ripping her mind apart.

"And if the rest of us interfere, what will you do?" Tsunade said, glaring at Kakashi.

Kakashi turned his head towards her, furrowing his brow. "That depends, Lady Hokage. If you or Master Jiraiya is the ones attacking me, I will most likely run away for now. But by doing so, my name and, more importantly, Naruto will most likely be dead before we can reach him; and Hinata will perhaps stay in bed the rest of her life. So if you think we have time for this, please let me know now. Because I have no intention of letting my pupil and friend suffer and die. In other words: Will you let me do my work right here, or do I really have to take Hinata with me?"

Jiraiya, who apparently had ignored his own warning, furrowed his brow. He looked once at the younger man with the white hair and odd eyes, then at Tsunade. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya, clearly in doubt what to do.

Then she sighed. "Do what you have to do Kaka…"

"Don't you dare touch my daughter, you white haired asshole!"

Everyone in the room, except for Hinata turned their heads toward the furious Hyuuga. He was covered in dust and garbage from the dustbin. He would have been a funny sight, if it wasn't for his eyes. The Byakugan was active but the eyes were still expressing murderous intent.

Hiashi started to move fast towards Kakashi. But as he prepared for attack there was a shout.

"… Air Palm!"

The effect of the jutsu caused Hiashi to fly through the window, again, and down in another large dustbin that was open and full.

Everyone looked at the one who had shouted. Neji had moved, without anybody noticing, behind Hiashi and hit him in the back with one of his jutsus. He just stood there, still in the stance when he used the jutsu. Then he finally realized what he had done and took his arms down. He knew he would pay for this later, but right now he didn't care.

Neji and Kakashi locked eyes with each other. Then Neji looked down in the floor. "Do your best for Miss Hinata… Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded. "Inoichi Yamanaka, would you care to join me?"

"I will." Inoichi answered, placing a hand on Kakashi's head. "I'm ready"

"Let's do this." Kakashi said, before locking eyes with Hinata and mumbled. "Memory Spy jutsu."

-Hinata's mind and memory-

When they got past some of the natural barriers in Hinata's mind, they arrived in a quite familiar place. They looked at the events to occur from the sideline.

It was afternoon. Naruto was walking away from the training location, where he had cleaved the waterfall yesterday. He had wanted to resume training right away, but then Sakura had arrived at the scene, announcing that Neji and Tenten now was a couple and that they would be celebrating it later that evening. Sakura's pink hair was still visible through the trees, and Kakashi had given Naruto his warning of what would happen to Naruto if he wasn't by his five senses for their next training session. Naruto was now trying to catch up with Sakura, without looking back.

"Um… Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked up from his green adult book, looking at a very nervous and blushing Hinata. "What can I do for you, Hinata?"

She mumbled something.

He chuckled. "Sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

Hinata blushed even more. "… genjutsu… confess…Naruto?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you are saying." Kakashi chuckled. But he had an idea to what she had said and wanted him to do.

"I wondered if you would… um… put me under a genjutsu… later tonight… so that I can… um… confess... my… my… love… for… for… Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered, with a face more red than a tomato. That confirmed Kakashi's thoughts.

He sighed and put his book away. Then he sat down on the grass in the shade of tree, motioning for her to sit down in front of him. She sat down as he wished.

"Hinata? Have you tried talking with Kurenai about this? I'm sure she would be glad to help you out and give you some advice."

Hinata turned from red to white and back to red in matter of seconds. "I… I… tried to talk with Kurenai-sensei about this, but then Kiba-kun and Shino-kun appeared… and… and…" Hinata trailed off and looked down in the ground

Kakashi sighed, feeling sorry for the poor girl. He wondered if Rin had had the same problems as Hinata, when she had asked him on that date that seemed to be a lifetime ago.

"Hinata." he began. Hinata lifted her head, eyes filled with a mix of hope and despair.

"Hinata, I doubt that genjutsu is the right solution." Kakashi sighed, knowing that he most likely just destroyed the remaining hope Hinata had left. "If you are to confess your love for Naruto, I'm certain that he would prefer you to be the original you he has known since the Academy. Otherwise he would just think that someone was pulling a practical joke on him. I know this Hinata, because I had a similar talk with Naruto and Sakura a week ago, while I was in the hospital. They asked me to do the exact same thing as you do now."

Hinata went pale. "Naruto-kun… and… Sakura too?" she whispered.

Kakashi looked at Hinata, seeing that tears were starting to pool in her eyes. He sighed once again, feeling more and sorrier for Hinata.

"Hinata, they both have feelings for each other. Naruto has had a crush on her since the Academy. For how long Sakura has had feelings beyond friendship for Naruto, I don't know. I know this because they both came to consult with me in the middle of the night, always making sure the other wasn't around. And it wasn't just once or twice. I have counted the total to be three times for each." he sighed before he continued. "The point is that they would react the same way if they found out that someone had put the other under genjutsu. They wouldn't believe the other, no matter what the other said and did. That or they would think someone was having a lot of fun on their behalf."

He looked at the teen girl in front of him. He saw how tears were running down her cheek and heard her sobs. Then, without warning, she plunged herself towards Kakashi, burying her face in his chest, crying without control.

Her sobs would have made it impossible to hear what she was saying from their current distance, but Kakashi knew all to well what was coming. Not wanting anything to be missed by Inoichi, he motioned for him to move closer. They walked over there, and reached close enough just as Hinata started to talk, her words barely audible for the standing Kakashi and Inoichi.

"Kakashi-sensei… please. I… I don't… don't know… what else… to do… I heard… a rumour… stating… that… Sakura… Sakura… is… is… is planning… to… make… her move… tonight. And… according… to… the rumour… she is… she is… ready… to… to… to sleep… to sleep with Naruto-kun!" Hinata's voice broke.

Kakashi was startled. He didn't know what to do. Yes, he was shocked that Sakura apparently was ready to go so far. And yes, he felt sorry for Hinata beyond all belief. He really wanted to help her, but he felt it was like betraying Naruto and Sakura if he helped Hinata in this matter. He also wondered why Hinata had come to him, although he had an idea why. But what really bothered him was that rumour. Something wasn't right.

"Hm. Hinata, who told you that rumour?" Kakashi asked, moving Hinata's head to his right shoulder; with a comforting hand on her back and the back of her head.

Hinata sobbed a bit more before answering. "Ino did."

"I see." Kakashi sighed. Then, quite gently, he pushed Hinata away from him until she was placed in the same spot she had been sitting some minutes ago. Hinata just sat there, tears running down her cheeks.

Kakashi sighed and closed his eye for a moment. Then he came to a decision.

He reached out for Hinata, and lifted her head gently by the chin. "Hinata, look at me."

Hinata looked at him as she wiped some tears away.

"I'm probably going to regret this, especially if Sakura finds out and gets her hands on me, but I have made up my mind. I will do as you ask. I will put you under a genjutsu that puts away your restraints for 24 hours. Alcohol could do that too, but it is easier to trace. If I heard correctly, you were going to a bar called "The Dancing Dragon", right? Meet me in the alleyway behind it before you join the others there, and I will work my magic there."

Hinata smiled, wiping away the last tears. "Thank you… Kakashi-sensei."

"Now, go and fix yourself up for tonight." Kakashi said, smiling behind his mask.

Hinata nodded and walked away.

Kakashi followed her with his eye for a moment, before leaning against the tree trunk. He sighed, looked up in the sky and mumbled. "Naruto, I swear… You are going to be my death someday."

The scene changed.

It was evening or night, around 10 p.m. The Leaf 11 and Sai were walking down the street, heading for the bar "The Dancing Dragon". They were all close fitting for a party. Except for Naruto. Being the goof as he is, he just wore his normal orange and black costume. They all went in, except for Hinata who walked into an alleyway. Kakashi was how strange it may sound, waiting for her while reading his book.

His eye went wide when he saw her.

'Well, I told her to fix herself up. But as she looks now, even Sakura will have a hard time getting Naruto's attention.' Kakashi thought, wondering if he really had to put her under a genjutsu as he put his book away.

Hinata was wearing a long black-blue dress made of silk that matched her hair. The dress had a V-formed opening in the front, making her black bra slightly visible. She turned around, giving Kakashi a look of her back. About ¾ of her back was visible in an opening. Kakashi thought that the only thing that kept the dress in place was the strop over her neck. When she faced Kakashi again, he noticed the silver ear rings and the black high-heeled shoes.

He smiled at her. "Are you sure you need my help? Your outfit alone should be able to win Naruto's heart."

Hinata blushed a little. "Yes, I'm sure. Please do your best, Kakashi-sensei."

"Fine. Are you ready?" Kakashi asked. As Hinata nodded, he removed his headband covering the Sharingan. "Here goes!"

Suddenly everything became blurry. The only thing that was visible for the observing Kakashi and Inoichi was a single Sharingan eye. But something was out of place. This Sharingan didn't belong to Kakashi. That was everything they managed to notice, before they were kicked out of Hinata's memory.

-The hospital room-

Kakashi was caught in his fall by Inoichi.

"Kakashi, what happened?"

Kakashi furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. Inoichi helped him over to a nearby bed, smiling. "Well, it wasn't all in vain. Even I didn't manage to come that deep into Hinata's memory."

Kakashi just glanced at him and shook his head. "The only reason we managed it so far, was because it was a part of my memory too. Inoichi, would you please tell the others what you saw and heard while I rest?"

Inoichi nodded and started to narrate. When he reached to the point where Hinata had mentioned the rumour, Sakura became as red a beetroot. She glared at Ino, causing Ino to take cover behind Tsunade. But that colour changed to blue as Inoichi mentioned that Kakashi had agreed to put Hinata under a genjutsu.

Inoichi barely finished his report, before Sakura attacked Ino verbally.

"Why did you say that to Hinata, Ino-Pig?! Me, sleep with Naruto?! AS IF!!" Sakura yelled. She clenched her fist as a mean to prevent herself for launching herself at Ino.

'But it is true that I planned to make my move that night, and perhaps be a little dirty with Naruto. But that didn't happen thanks to Lee, and apparently Kakashi-sensei. I'm gonna kill them both, hell yeah!' Inner Sakura thought.

For how long Sakura cursed Ino and Ino's weak attempts to protest continued, Kakashi didn't know. All he knew was that the shouting and yelling was giving him a burning headache, preventing him from thinking. However, Tenten's voice caught his attention. From the fragments of the shouting, Kakashi understood that Ino had said that she heard the rumour from Tenten who had heard it from a handsome, but unknown teen. That had caused Sakura to grab Tenten by the collar, which caused Tenten to pull Sakura's hair. Then Ino had mingled in the fight, causing all three of them to roll on the floor; sometimes Lee gave a yelp of pain as a kick or punch hit his broken leg. Tsunade, Jiraiya, family members, boyfriend, friends and senseis were trying to split them up, without luck. Well, Jiraiya only tried with a half heart, as he found this quite entertaining.

"Everyone, be quiet! This is what they want to achieve!" Kakashi said with a loud voice. No effect.

"Shut the hell up!" Kakashi yelled, but with the same result.

He frowned. This was beyond annoying for him. He sighed and stood up. "Fine. RAIKIRI!" And suddenly everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, as Kakashi punched a hole in the wall. Tenten, Ino and Sakura stopped in positions that looked like they were trying to strangle each other.

(Think of a cartoon fight and you will pretty much get the picture)

They were all startled, as Kakashi scowled at them, his voice colder than ice.

"If you are done behaving like a bunch of Academy kids, then maybe we can proceed? We need to figure out who has abducted Naruto, and more importantly: Where Naruto is so we can save him."

"But… but… Kakashi-sensei." all three girls began, releasing each other. But they fell silent under Kakashi's hard gaze.

Kakashi was real pissed now. "NO BUTS! WHILE YOU STUPID GIRLS WERE ARGUING, I WAS TRYING TO THINK! YOUR STUPIDITY ALMOST REACHES OR PERHAPS EVEN EXCEEDS NARUTO'S WHEN HE IS WORST! SPEAKING OF NARUTO, WHILE WE WASTE TIME HERE WAITING FOR YOU TO COME TO YOUR SENSES, NARUTO IS MOST LIKELY MOVING CLOSER TO DEATH! FOR WHAT WE KNOW HE CAN BE DEAD BY NOW! SO SHUT UP AND BEHAVE LIKE YOU ARE ADULTS! LIKE YOU ARE FULL-FLEDGED NINJAS!"

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei. I think you are exaggerating now." Lee said from his bed, being the gentleman and defending the girls.

Kakashi turned his gaze at Lee, making Lee glad he already was in the hospital, as Kakashi seemed ready to break every single bone in his body just by his gaze. Lee lowered his head and didn't say anymore.

Sakura, Tenten and Ino started to cry, tears running down their cheeks. None of them had ever received such a reprimand by any of their senseis. Sakura actually doubted that her own parents or Tsunade ever had yelled at her like that.

She was startled. She had always known Kakashi to be the caring and gentle sensei you could rely on, even though he could be strict in order to keep people in line. He could be lazy, but he was able to concentrate when he had to. Now she was facing a different Kakashi. A Kakashi that looked like he was ready to explode at any moment; ready to kill the first person who was stupid enough to say something wrong.

The other jounin, Tsunade and Jiraiya were startled. They had never seen Kakashi lose it like that.

Gai looked at the three girls, then at Kakashi as he furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes. His voice was full of anger. "Kakashi, was that really necessary? They are just kids, for God's sake!"

Asuma continued. "What has gotten into you Kakashi? This isn't the cool Copy-ninja and friend I know."

Tsunade and Kurenai kneeled down besides the girls, trying to comfort them. They both glared at Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at the girls, then at Asuma and Gai, before returning back to the girls. His eye softened as he looked at them, regretting his outburst a bit.

He calmed down a bit and sat down on the bed again. "Sakura, come here."

Sakura hesitated a bit, wiping a few tears away. But when she saw that he smiled encouraging and motioned for her to sit to his by left, she merely nodded and walked over to sit.

Once she got there, she started to cry again.

Kakashi sighed and placed her head against his shoulder and an arm around her shoulders. "Sakura, what's wrong? I'm sure it wasn't me yelling alone that have make you break down like this?"

Sakura's words were barely audible through her sobs. "No, Kakashi-sensei, it wasn't you yelling. It was just… when you said that Naruto might be near death… or… or that he could be… by now… First Sasuke-kun and now Naruto. I promised that I would protect them. I… I failed them. I… I ...Oh God, I failed them!" At this she buried her face in Kakashi's shoulder, crying her heart out.

Kakashi started to pat her on the back of her head and rock a little on the bed. For a moment they could be mistaken for a father comforting his daughter. All in the room just watched. Except for Hinata, but she was aware something was happening.

He spoke softly, still holding Sakura. "There, there Sakura. You didn't fail anybody. Sasuke and Naruto can thank you for still being alive. And I'm sure Naruto is fine considering the circumstances. He is tougher than most. And I will bring him back. No matter how long time it takes, no matter what means I have to use. Even if it costs me my own life, I will bring him back. That's promise. After all, he is going to become Hokage one day. And I still have to have a little chat about him taking advantage of a drunken girl."

Sakura lifted her head, and smiled as she wiped her tears away. "Kakashi-sensei, you had your role in that matter, remember?"

Kakashi looked at her and smiled. "Details, details. Bad habit you got there Sakura; Reminding people of their mistakes and linger like that in the details."

All in the room laughed. The girls were done crying. But two of the laughing caught Kakashi's attention. The first one was Jiraiya.

"That reminds me; Master Jiraiya, I'm gonna have a little talk with you."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Why, because I didn't try harder to stop the gals' fight? Or do you need a new book?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. But is a bit related to both. I'm gonna have a talk with you about you having a bad influence on Naruto. Taking the recent events into consideration, I'm strongly against that Naruto keeps reading the raw versions of your books before you send them to the publisher."

Jiraiya stopped laughing. Instead he pouted, causing everyone to roar with laughter.

Now noticed Kakashi who the other laughing one was. He turned his around and saw that Hinata was sitting up and clutching her sides as she laughed.

End chapter 4 part 1/2


	5. Chapter 5: Chapter 4 pt 2

Chapter 4: Escape or Hell? Part 2/2

Naruto was freezing. The cell's floor was cold, and a small wind slipped in from a rift in the wall. But whether if the wind was from the outside or simply from a corridor, Naruto couldn't tell. When he had been abducted by Orochimaru, Naruto had only been wearing his pants and boxers. During Orochimaru's "tests" he remembered that he had come out of his bathroom only wearing his pants and necklace. Then Hinata had taken the necklace and put it… where? The only thing he knew for sure was that Orochimaru wasn't in possession of it. He knew this, because Orochimaru had been asking for it every time before the tests started.

Naruto smiled to himself. Knowing that he was making Orochimaru furious, even under these circumstances, was the only reason Naruto wasn't begging for death by now.

"Heh. I don't know for how much longer I can sustain this. But I know that Granny Tsunade would kill me for sure if she found out that the necklace was in Orochimaru's possession."

He cringed as he looked down his torso, the memories of the last torture becoming unbearable clear.

-Flashback, start-

"What is this? Aren't you going to cook me, snake face? What a shame. The steam purged my skin from the impurities it gets from the room you have given me." Naruto said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto was tied to a big iron plate that was standing up, so that he was upright in a 90 degree angle. Otherwise it looked just like one of Orochimaru's usual rooms for research with computers lined up by the wall and greenish light.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes dangerously. Then he smiled. A smile that revealed anything else than kindness. It was rather a smile that was giving a promise of pain and death. "No, no, no. I'm done "cooking" you, as you so charmly have put it. Now we move to the more traditional methods. Oh, and by the way; you have already passed the steam test. You managed to sustain it at maximum power for 10 minutes. The previous record was 5 minutes. So it is quite a feat."

Naruto just glared at him. "Well, then why don't we alert the media? We both know you love to have everyone's attention. Especially for less flattering things. But then again; you face isn't actually to the front page. Unless they want to scare their readers away. Or if it one of those magazines for old ladies. Because your face alone is enough to get them buying those products to keep them look young and to make them use make-up."

Orochimaru wasn't pleased. But he was so fixed at Naruto, trying to come up with something that would shut him up just by hearing about it. He was so focused on him that he didn't hear Sasuke chuckle at Narutos remark. Kabuto just glared, frowning. He wondered how Naruto was still able and dared to say such things to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was furious. None of his previous victims had had this much courage. And especially not after this kind of torture. Then he smiled. He finally knew what he would do. This boy was perfect for the project.

"I'm glad to see you still have some defiance to come with your cocky remarks. You can become a fine next vessel. Especially since you seem to have a body that can handle pain to the same extent as Sasuke's. I won't use the old fashioned ways like burning you and whipping you like I planned to. Or more correct, I will add some more. Kabuto, attach the wires to the plate and start the water. I will like to see how he will react to this. And after that; Sasuke, you find the steel whip and Kabuto will find some salt."

They both nodded. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru." Then they disappeared for a short moment, but returned with the items they were ordered to acquire.

Naruto's eyes went wide. He had a bad feeling about this. It didn't become any better as Kabuto attached the wires near his head, arms and legs.

Orochimaru licked his lips. "Start the water. And then turn on the electricity. We start at low voltage, but continue to increase it slowly as we progress. At my command, stop the electricity and take notes. And Kabuto; make sure he doesn't die along the way."

Kabuto just smiled, adjusted his glasses and then nodded. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Kabuto turned on a pipe, and immediately cold water ran down Naruto and the plate. 5 minutes later, Naruto was soaked

"Thank you. I needed a bath. But next time, would you please turn on the hot water instead? It makes me look better. And I know you like eye candy, right, Kabuto?" Naruto said with a smirk.

Kabuto blushed and narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. Then he smiled and walked over to the wall farthest away from Naruto and pulled a handle.

Naruto almost screamed as electricity was applied to the plate. The metal led the electricity and the water amplified the electricity's effect. Then Kabuto stopped the electricity.

Naruto panted. This was worse than the steam. But he barely had time to think this, as Kabuto turned on the electricity again. When he stopped to take a note again, Naruto heard a clattering sound. As he looked up, he saw Sasuke. Naruto almost fainted.

Sasuke was holding a whip made of steel. And it was barbed. Small metal hooks were visible in 4 rows from the tip and ¾ down the whip.

"Well then. Sasuke, you know what you have to do. You need to kill your emotions if you ever are to defeat Itachi."

Sasuke scowled. "Yes my Lord."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "I would prefer if you would use another tone with me boy. Or do I really need to remind you of your place in the hierarchy?"

Naruto looked at the two men. Orochimaru's face was emotionless, but Sasuke's wasn't. Naruto clearly saw anger, and was it possible… fear?

Sasuke lowered his head. "Forgive me, Lord Orochimaru. I was simply wondering why this worthless loser is still alive."

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, his expression softening slightly. "My dear boy. He is still alive, because I need him. I need him to my experiment and plan to crush the Leaf Village. Just as I need you for that plan. But rest assured. He will be useless tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I soon have the data needed. Perhaps I will give him a Curse Seal like yours. Because there is no way I will let the Akatsuki have him. Alive that is."

All of the colour drained from Sasuke's face when Orochimaru mentioned the idea of giving Naruto the Curse Seal and hand him over to Akatsuki, but Naruto doubted what he had seen, as Sasuke's expression soon turned into his usual stoic one.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then back to Orochimaru. "As you wish, Lord Orochimaru."

Sasuke walked over to where Naruto was tied up. Sasuke stood few inches from Naruto's face.

Tears filled Naruto eyes. "Sasuke… Please. Don't. Come back to right side. Come home. It isn't too late. So please… Please don't do this."

Sasuke face was completely emotionless as he met Naruto's pleading eyes. "Wrong. It is too late for me. This is the end. Goodbye… Naruto."

Sasuke stepped back and looked at Orochimaru, who nodded.

One hit with the whip, and Naruto was screaming in pain. Both physically and mentally. Physical because the barbed whip tore his skin and flesh apart, which soon was followed by the pain of the electricity. And so the whip and electricity continued to replace each other. And mentally because of Sasuke's betrayal.

-Flashback end-

Naruto was freezing. He looked down of himself. His chest, stomach and legs were red with wounds criss-crossing from the whip. And they hurt like hell.

"Oh yeah. That's right. Kabuto was ordered to fill my wounds with salt between the electrical torture and the whipping. Good way to add more pain. And the salt cleans my wounds so I will hold on longer, because the wounds won't become infected. Sasuke… Why? Why would you do this? I understand that you want to kill Itachi. And that you need power in order to do that. But last time we met, you said you wouldn't follow Itachi's way. What made you change your mind?"

Naruto was brought out of his chain of thoughts, as the door to his cell slowly opened.

"What. Have I been out for so long that it's time for more torture? I have completely lost my sense of time."

A cloaked figure walked in. Naruto looked at the figure's face, but he couldn't tell who this person was. Then he realized that the person was wearing a mask and a hood covered his hair. Naruto was too dizzy to estimate how tall the person was, but he guessed it was a man, judging by his form and voice. Even though the voice was distorted.

"Come with me."

Naruto was confused, and asked the obvious. "Why?"

The man just looked at him. "Because this is not the place you want to be." And with that he walked in and pulled Naruto up by Naruto's right arm. The person put Naruto's right arm over his neck, grabbing it with his own right hand, while he tucked his left arm around Naruto. Then he started to drag Naruto out of his, supporting Naruto, keeping him from fall. Naruto was so tired that he didn't resist. He dragged his feet in the beginning, but soon he started to walk by himself, still being supported by the stranger.

They walked down corridors illuminated by torches for what seemed as several hours. Or at least Naruto thought so. In reality was more like 15 minutes or so. All this time they had walked in silence, until Naruto spoke.

"Why? Why are you helping me? You are one of Orochimaru's men, right?"

"Yes, I'm one of Lord Orochimaru's men."

Naruto was confused. He glanced at the man, still not being able to estimate how tall the man was. "Then why? Why are you helping me? Don't you think Orochimaru will kill you once he learns about this?"

The man stopped for a moment. When he spoke, his voice calm. "I doubt it. You see, he needs me. Besides, he isn't here right now. I'm helping you, because your presence endangers us all."

CRRAAABOOOUUUUMMMMMMM!!! CRAAAACCCKKK!!!

Naruto turned his head in direction of the sound. It was coming from his right, but it didn't seem to be close. "What the hell? Are Orochimaru's men fighting in his absence? No wonder he is in such a foul mood every time I see him."

For the first time, the stranger's voice trembled. "We better get moving. They have already passed the first three lines of the defences." That being said, he started to move fast, dragging Naruto with him.

Now Naruto was even more confused. "Who? What the hell is going on?!"

"Akatsuki. They have infiltrated our base. They have come to get you, and they are hellbent on getting to you."

Naruto's eyes went wide in shock and fear. 'Akatsuki?! Here?! Will this hell never stop?!'

The thought of having Akatsuki right behind him, and with no strength to fight or friends to help him, Naruto suddenly gained power to run on his own. The two young men sprinted down the corridors, dreading that they would run right into Itachi or worse. But they didn't encounter any of the Akatsuki. Although they saw a glimpse of something that resembled fire.

"How much further?!?" Naruto shouted. He panted heavily, as adrenalin was starting to wear off. He could feel the sweat running down his face and torso. But what was worse; the wounds were open and blood was pouring out, leaving a little but visible trail of blood on the floor.

"Oh shit! Not good!" Naruto was in panic.

"Listen! Just continue to run down the corridor ahead! Then you should reach the exit. Then run east, and you will reach the Leaf Village in a day or two. If you travel with full speed that is."

Naruto looked at the cloaked person. Then he nodded and ran. He looked over his shoulder and saw the person disappear down a corridor on his left.

Naruto reached the exit, and ran out as the stars started to fill the night. He reached the edge of a wood just as another explosion occurred, sending rocks and earth flying. Naruto saw this. He shook his head. Then a voice made Naruto turn around on his heels.

"It is time for you to come with me... Naruto."

Naruto's eyes went wide, and despair filled them as he saw the black cloaks with red skies imprinted on them. "NO! WHY YOU?! OF ALL PEOPLE, WHY YOU?!"

Naruto had run from fire to hell.

___

"Hinata, you are awake?! What a relief!" Kurenai shouted and before anyone could blink with an eye, she had engulfed Hinata in an embrace that could have broken the thigh bone.

Hinata gasped for air. "Umm… Kurenai-sensei… could you please loosen up a bit. I can't breathe."

Anyone in the room laughed. The girls and Kiba all hugged Hinata and then each other. And even if Shino would deny it in the time to come, a small tear of relief trickled down his cheek. It was hard to see because of his coat, but it was seen by Lee who shouted. "Shino is crying! Oh my god, the end is near! Shino is crying! Shino is… mmph"

Lee didn't get to say anymore, as Shino's bugs filled his mouth. He glared at Lee. "One more word, and I will make my bugs eat your tongue. Why? Because it is good manners not to shout in a hospital; or draw attention to yourself. Especially not after a friend has recovered." Then he moved to stand beside Hinata. "I'm glad that you are okay."

Hinata smiled and nodded. But if she and the others in the room was shocked over that Shino had been crying, (He denied that as the crowd asked if that was true, and almost killed Lee and Kiba because they wouldn't shut up), they were in for another shock.

Pushing the girls aside, Neji had moved to Hinata's bed, embracing her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Forgive me, Lady Hinata. I failed in my job to protect you. But I swear; never again will I allow anyone to hurt you. Not even Akatsuki will lay a finger on you; I will rather die than allow that to happen."

Hinata was shocked. Shino was one thing, but to see Neji like this… She nearly fainted again. But then she got a grip on herself. She embraced Neji for a moment, then came eye to eye with him. "There is nothing to forgive, dear cousin. I don't blame you for what happened."

Neji wiped his eyes, as tears began to pool in his eye and he smiled. That Hinata forgave him like that was a big relief for him. Then he grew serious. "But Lady Hinata; my purpose is to protect you. And where was I? I was trying to calm down my drunk fool of a teammate, instead of being by your side when you needed me the most. And…"

He was interrupted by Lee. "I wasn't drunk! I never touched alcohol that evening! All I got was lemonade and…"

"What the hell?! You were drunk, you pervert! You ripped my clothes apart, revealing my bra to everyone in the street! And…"

Sakura fell silent as she blushed. Partly because of what she just had said, partly because everyone were looking at her. Jiraiya had a small nosebleed. Then he smiled at Lee and gave him a thumps up. Unfortunately, Tsunade saw this. But Jiraiya was quick to dodge the incoming fist.

Kakashi closed his eye. Then he opened his eye again and moved towards Hinata's bed. But on the way he grabbed Sakura by the collar, as she started to move towards Lee, with a murderous intent in her eyes.

"Sakura… calm down. We have more important things to take care of, remember?" His voice was soft, but it held an edge in it, telling her that he wouldn't tolerate more ruckus.

She nodded. But a look at Lee told everyone that this wasn't over just yet.

Kakashi sighed. Then he turned towards Hinata as he let go of Sakura. "Hinata. I know that this might not be a good time to tell you this, but Naruto…"

He was cut off by Kurenai, who put her arms protectively around Hinata. "Kakashi, can't it wait? She just got out of shock, and now you want to tell her that? It will most likely put her back in shock. Let her rest. Let her sleep and let her be oblivious of what happened on that night. Please, this is the only thing I will ever ask of you. Let her…"

Kurenai fell silent under Kakashi's gaze. His voice was stern, leaving no doubt of his opinion and that he didn't plan on being stopped by Kurenai's plea. "No, this can't wait. Not if there still is a chance of getting Naruto back alive. And let me make this clear once and for all: As long as there is a chance that Naruto is alive, I will do whatever it takes to bring him back."

Kurenai seemed ready to fight for her point of view, shielding Hinata from Kakashi's gaze. "I understand that Kakashi, and I truly feel with you. But let us be realistic- what are the chances that Naruto is still alive? If the Akatsuki got him, then…"

Kurenai was cut off by two gasps. The one came from Sakura, who turned her head away, trying to cover her tears. The thought alone of Naruto being captured by Akatsuki was too much for her. She knew that if was the case, then Naruto would most likely be dead by now.

The other gasp came from Hinata. She looked terrified as her head came into sight. "Why are you speaking of Naruto-kun that way? What happened? Why shouldn't he be alive?"

Kakashi looked from Hinata to Kurenai. "She needs to know. She needs to know what happened."

Kurenai looked down, her voice barely audible. "Why does she need to know? She loves him, you know that. She has loved him since the Academy. The truth might put her back in a state of shock or worse. Is it really worth to risk that? Naruto might not be alive, and now you will jeopardize another person's health for no reason. Have you no heart, Kakashi?"

Kakashi was silent for moment. Everyone in the room followed the scene in silence. Kurenai got a point. But when Kakashi spoke, all of them tensed. His voice was icy of barely contained anger, but yet warm with care.

"Kurenai, I understand how you feel. I truly do. And yes, I'm aware that Hinata loves Naruto. And… No, let me finish" Kurenai had made a move to interrupt him, but one raised hand from Kakashi was enough to silence her. "And because of that love, she needs to know. She will find out sooner or later anyway. And I prefer sooner. Why? Because the sooner she knows, the sooner she will be able to acknowledge it. And only by acknowledging what happened, she will have any hope of moving on. I know this, because I have been there a long time ago."

Kurenai looked at Kakashi, then at Hinata who just looked confused and afraid of what might come. Then she looked at Kakashi. "You know, Kakashi, sometimes I hate you for being the genius you are. And how much I hate to admit this, then you are right. Again. She needs to know what happened for the very reason you mentioned."

Kakashi sighed, then revealed his Sharingan. Anybody in the room tensed even more. Kakashi, noticed this, and sighed again before locking eyes with Hinata. "Hinata, some days ago Naruto was abducted. You was found in his apartment, almost naked and entangled in blood soaked sheets. Naruto's blood. Furthermore, a kunai with Naruto's blood on it was found. It had your fingerprints on it. Hinata, I have to ask this: Did you or did you not, stab Naruto?"

Hinata became more white than a ghost. Then she started to cry. "I… I don't remember wh- wha- what happened. The last thing I remember is that you put me under a genjutsu. Then when you left, Naruto-kun ran off, and…"

Kakashi sat down in front of Hinata. He placed his left hand on her shoulder, but continued to look her in the eyes. "Shhh, Hinata. Take it easy and slow. I don't suspect you for abducting Naruto or something. None of us do. But we need to know exactly what happened, if we are to help Naruto. You want to help Naruto, right?"

Hinata just nodded and whispered. "I don't how much I can help. I just remember that Naruto-kun came back from wherever he was. The last thing I can clearly remember that I was in his apartment, alone while he was having a shower."

Kakashi sighed. "Very well. I didn't expect you to remember more than that. It seems my genjutsu..."

"But you said your genjutsu would put away my restraints for 24 hours. You didn't say anything about my memory being blocked." Hinata sounded like she was going to break down.

Kakashi looked at her. "It did negate your restraints. About your blocked memory; I have a theory, without being an expert. But it seems to me that someone else put you under another genjutsu. Most likely it happened while you were waiting for Naruto to come back or for Naruto to finish his bath. My guess is that the other person's genjutsu outdid mine or something like that. Is that possible, Kurenai?"

Kurenai looked at Kakashi. He seemed to have about thought this a lot. "Yes, it is possible. But it would take incredible skill and power to do such thing. I'm not even sure that I could do it."

Kakashi nodded. "Perhaps you couldn't. But a person with the Sharingan could. And if you remember what Inoichi told you; in Hinata's mind we saw a Sharingan, but it wasn't mine. That brings the number of suspects down to two: Itachi or Sasuke Uchiha. And it takes the Sharingan to counter the Sharingan. My 'Memory Spy jutsu' nor the ANBU's 'Time reversal jutsu' are powerful enough to break down mental barriers set up by genjutsu if they are set by the Sharingan. But I have a move that is powerful enough to do so. That is why I have uncovered my Sharingan. Because my Sharingan will now do the hard work against the barriers, and my willpower will do the rest."

Tsunade nodded. "That sounds good. If it is Itachi's doing, we know for what purpose Naruto's has been abducted. And he has the skill and power to do it. But Sasuke?"

Kakashi looked at Tsunade. "I doubt this is Itachi's doing. Itachi wouldn't use genjutsu just to get to Naruto, unless it was on Naruto himself. Itachi and Kisame are both powerful enough to take Naruto out without breaking a sweat. Sasuke is a different matter. Even though that he clearly has become stronger, Sasuke wouldn't get it his way that easy against Naruto. Speaking of Sasuke; I doubt that he is the mastermind behind this. But we will know soon enough."

Tsunade looked at Kakashi. His logic was flawless. She just hoped that he was right. Naruto's chances for surviving this were bigger if he was Orochimaru's captive than Akatsuki's.

She closed her eyes. "Kakashi… do your best."

Kakashi nodded. "Hinata, this might hurt a bit now that you are awake. And you might see things you will wish you never had. Is there someone you would like to take with you, aside from me, into your memory?"

Hinata looked at him, then at Kurenai. "Kurenai-sensei and Neji, would you please come with me?"

Kurenai smiled. "Of course I will come with you Hinata."

Neji merely nodded.

Kakashi looked at the two Hinata had chosen. Then he closed his eyes as he gathered chakra. "Neji, Kurenai; Place your hands on my shoulders and stay still. Hinata, are you ready?"

Neji and Kurenai did as they were told and Hinata prepared herself. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded. Then he opened his eyes and locked them with Hinata's, and placed his right middle finger and forefinger on Hinata's forehead, like he was putting a gun to her head. "Memory Agent jutsu!"

And Kakashi, Kurenai, Neji and Hinata whirled into Hinata's mind, the latter crying a bit because of the pain. They met several barriers, but they were broken as the four approached them.

-Hinata's mind and memory-

They were standing in an alleyway behind The Dancing Dragon. Apparently Naruto had just left, cause they could hear the ruckus in the background. After 5-10 minutes, Naruto returned with a wide grin spread across his face.

"Hehe. Fuzzy-brow is drunk. We were only able to subdue him because he pissed off Sakura-chan. Hehe, she has a pink bra. Eh, Hinata are you feeling alright? You look kind of…" Naruto trailed off as Hinata kissed him on his lips.

At first he was startled, but then he realized that he actually enjoyed this. He casually placed his hands on her lips, while she placed her hands around his neck and back.

When they broke apart, they both had a peaceful expression on their faces.

"Eh, sorry about that Hinata." Naruto stammered, a goofy grin on his face. "I shouldn't have done…"

He was silenced when Hinata kissed him even more passionately, moving Naruto's hands to her chest and sides. (Neji turned away at this, red as a tomato. Kakashi and Kurenai didn't react at all, as they both were and had been in a relationship before. Their eyebrows twitched a little when Hinata moved Naruto's hands inside her dress, at the same places as before. Neji almost fainted with a nosebleed at this. Hinata simply hid her red face, embarrassed that other people were seeing this )

When they broke apart again, Naruto didn't had the sense to move his hands, and Hinata didn't move a muscle to stop him. When Naruto finally realized where his hands were, he pulled them away as if they had been burned. He stood twiddling his finger, completely red in his face and big eyes.

"You… you… I'm… sor-r-r-r-y-y-y... I'm so…" Naruto stammered.

"Eh, Naruto? I'm tired. What about I sleep at your place tonight?" Hinata said, without blinking with her eyes.

Naruto clearly didn't understand what she was suggesting and what it implied as he answered. "Sure. I will take you there now."

Everything became blurry. Kurenai and Neji glanced at Kakashi, making him nervous.

He shrugged. "Eh, perhaps I overdid a bit. Ehe hehehe." Kurenai and Neji simply glared at him. Then he turned towards Hinata, as they waited for the scene to reform. "What about you Hinata? Are you sure you want to see the rest? It will get pretty ugly, but I have the power to send you back if you want to."

Hinata shook her head. "No, thank you Kakashi-sensei. You said it yourself; I need this knowledge in order to move on."

Kakashi nodded, and then the scene reformed.

They were in Naruto's apartment. He had just walked into the shower, because they could hear him sing.

"Well, one thing is for sure; he needs to learn how to sing, because this is terrible." Kakashi mumbled.

Hinata was standing near his bed, still dressed, clutching Naruto's necklace that Tsunade had given to him two or so years ago. Then she put it behind the photo of Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. A sound got their attention. They all turned towards the opening leading to the balcony (or what you wanna call it) and saw two persons standing there, both cloaked. Hinata stepped closer. Big mistake. One of the persons grabbed her from behind, a hand covering her mouth to prevent her from shouting. It was Kabuto.

"Now." Kabuto hissed, "Do it now Sasuke, before he gets back."

"Yeah, I know." Sasuke answered coldly, before locking his completely developed Sharingan eyes with Hinata's pale eyes.

Hinata just stood there for a moment. Then, she slowly started to undress. (Neji turned away as he thought that he at least would protect a little of Hinata's dignity. Kurenai took Hinata by the shoulders as she started to sob lightly, but Kurenai continued to observe what was happening. Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets. He too wanted to save some of Hinata's dignity by turning away, but he knew that it wasn't an option if he wanted to know more.

Kabuto and Sasuke withdraw to the outside. Right after Naruto entered the room, completely dressed. He came to an abrupt halt, as he saw the almost naked Hinata turning towards him.

"Hinata, what are you do…" Naruto trailed off

"Sshh, don't speak my beloved one." Hinata whispered. Then she took off Naruto's shirt and placed his hands around her breasts before kissing him passionately. He answered the kiss just as passionately. He cupped them, making Hinata moan slightly. (Neji was thrown out of the memory with a heavy nosebleed and Hinata disappeared as she lost consciousness, leaving only Kurenai and Kakashi to survey the events to occur. )

Hinata gently pushed Naruto towards the bed, never breaking the kiss. But then she took two steps backwards, and Kabuto appeared between them, a kunai drawn. Before Naruto could do anything, Kabuto stabbed him three times. One stab near each kidney and one near the heart. Naruto screamed a bit, but was knocked unconscious by Sasuke by a swift blow to the neck.

Kurenai closed her eyes and turned her head away. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent glowing in them. Kurenai felt his murderous intent and opened her eyes.

They saw Naruto fell backwards, blood coming out of his wounds and mouth. As he fell, he somehow managed to grab Kabuto by the hair, pulling some few white hairs out. Then Naruto landed on the bed. He got entangled en the sheets, drenching them in blood before he fell to the floor. After that, he didn't move.

Kabuto panted. He looked at Sasuke. Sasuke's face didn't betray anything- he looked just as stoic as he always did.

Hinata hadn't moved at all.

"Well, that went smoothly, don't you think, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto was uneasy. That was clear.

Sasuke just glanced coldly at Kabuto. Then he looked at Naruto. "Why does Orochimaru want this guy? He is just a loser. And what do we do with her? Should we kill her?" He nodded in Hinata's direction.

Kabuto looked at Hinata. Then a smile crept over his face. "No, I got a better idea. It is true that if we kill her, it might look like she just was the wrong place and time. But it would make you spreading the rumours about him and, what was the name again? Sakura? Anyway it would make you spreading the rumours and me giving that drug to that boy, I think his name was Lee, pointless. Remember, all that was done to throw them off trail. Besides: Naruto-kun pulled out some of my hair. It can be used. You said that someone already had put her under a genjutsu, right?"

Sasuke merely nodded.

"Good. Then we can use your Sharingan to put up some barriers that will make it look like Kakashi-san did it. That is not a problem, is it?"

Sasuke scowled at Kabuto. No, it's not. Let's get going."

"Fine. But before we do that; where did the girl put that necklace?"

"We don't have time for that. If you fix the scene, I will carry the loser."

Kakashi and Kurenai watched how Kabuto entangled Hinata in the blood soaked sheets and just threw her to the floor after knocking her unconscious, just after Sasuke had pulled Naruto out of them and flung him over his shoulders. Then Kabuto stopped the bleeding, so that they wouldn't leave a trail behind them, and made Hinata hold the kunai so that it would be her fingerprints that would be found on it. Then he tossed it away, getting only a little blood on his hands from the tip.

"Let's leave. Lord Orochimaru doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Sasuke merely nodded. Then they took off, and the scene dissolved.

-The hospital room-

Kurenai was shocked. She looked at Hinata. She had regained consciousness, but she was crying. Kurenai put an arm around her, trying to comfort her. She was glad that Hinata hadn't seen the entire scene. But that brought up another question. She looked at Kakashi, who just had covered his Sharingan.

"Kakashi; how come were we able to see that much after Hinata passed out?"

Kakashi panted a bit. He looked out the window, and saw that the sun had almost set. "We were able to see so far, because with this jutsu I'm able to sneak a bit into the memory of the other persons who might have been there at that time. I don't know whether it was Sasuke's or Kabuto's mind I sneaked into. And frankly, I don't care. All I know is that Orochimaru has Naruto, and that he wants him for something. I don't know what, but I plan to find out. Kurenai can explain what happened. I better get going. I have preparations and work to do."

He walked for the door. Then someone shouted.

"We will come with you!"

Kakashi turned around. Sakura, Kiba, Shino and Neji faced him with a determined look on their faces.

Kakashi smiled. "I appreciate your offer, and my answer is… NO!"

All four of them glared at him. Then Kiba shouted. "Why not?! We are capable enough to do this! We are not kids anymore! We no longer need you jounins to protect us!"

The others nodded their agreement energetically.

Kakashi suddenly got a hard look in his eye. "This isn't a question about whether you are capable for this or not. This is a question about your friend. Hinata needs you to be by her side if she is to recover from this." He saw that Sakura was about to protest. "And yes Sakura, I'm fully aware that you are worried about Naruto and that he is your friend. And because of that, you can't come with me. If Orochimaru's gets his hands on you, he will gain a terrible weapon to crush Naruto and perhaps me. But unlike you, I have done this many times before. Besides; to Orochimaru I'm simply just Naruto's teacher. He will think that Naruto has no close bonds with me, and simply kill me. That way I will have failed in my mission, but Naruto won't be endangered more. If he is still alive that is."

Then Tsunade stepped forward. "I will come with you."

Kakashi merely shook his head. "Not an option. You are the Hokage. You can't just leave as you want." He noticed that Jiraiya stepped forward too. "And no Master Jiraiya, you can't come. If I fail, you will have to take over. Besides; you better stay here to help Lady Hokage if Orochimaru tries something against the Leaf."

With that, Kakashi walked out of the hospital door and set his course.

__

Kakashi was gathering his stuff in his room. He packed a tent, a sleeping bag, some scrolls and ink and some few rations of food. Then he looked at the two photos. His old team and the team he had been sensei for. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had scolded Obito for being late and Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke for not thinking like ninjas.

Then he saw a small box on his desk. He sighed and opened it. Inside was ring. A ring made of gold and with a big red diamond on it.

"I'm sorry my love. But it seems you will have to wait a little before you can get this."

He then put the ring in a pocket in his vest, and put on his ninja gear and left his room.

___

He was standing in Naruto's apartment. It was still a mess. But he quickly found what he was looking for. Naruto's t-shirt and shirt, his sandals and his headband and the rest of his ninja gear. Then he found the necklace that once belonged to the First. Now it belonged to Naruto. He would be glad to see this again. If he still was alive. Kakashi sighed. He packed the clothes and ninja gear in his backpack and the necklace in the same pocket as he had put the ring. Then he walked through the Leaf Village.

When he arrived at the main gate, the first stars were already filling the night sky. He sighed. Then he bit his finger till blood came out, made some hand signs and thrust his arm into the ground.

"Summoning jutsu!"

When the smoke cleared, eight dogs were sitting right in front of him. Although, they looked pretty sleepy.

Pakkun snorted. "Well, it has been a long time, but… Did you have to call us out when we were enjoying our sleep?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Sorry about that. But this can't wait. Pakkun, Naruto has been abducted by Orochimaru, and we need to find him fast. I need you to sniff him up and report to me as soon as you find his scent. The scent can be faint, cause the abduction happened some days ago in my absence. Here is his scent." Kakashi pulled out Naruto's headband so the dogs could get Naruto's scent.

Pakkun growled. A growl that told Kakashi that he was concerned. "By Orochimaru, eh? Then we need to move fast. Leave this to us Kakashi. We will find the pup for you."

Kakashi nodded. "I'm counting on you, Pakkun. I'm counting on all of you. Scatter!"

With that the dogs took off. Kakashi looked after them, before putting the headband back in his backpack.

"Hang in there, Naruto. Help is on it's way. So don't die, cause I will find you and get you home."

With that, Kakashi took off into the starry night. What he didn't know was that he was being followed by three cloaked and masked figures.

End chapter 4


	6. Chapter 6: Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Encounter in the Forest! The Battle Begins!

"Oh boy. He doesn't seem to be happy to see us again, or what do you think, Itachi-san?"

Itachi merely looked at Naruto. "Well, can you blame him? After all, our encounters in the past haven't been what you would call pleasant."

Kisame smirked at the memory. "I guess. But he should be easy to take now. This time, there are no annoying persons like Jiraiya or someone like that to interfere. Unless Orochimaru comes to this boy aid?"

Itachi snorted. "Unlikely. Knowing Orochimaru, he will try to save his own neck. Besides, Zetsu is on the lookout. Even Orochimaru will have a hard time to come here unnoticed. But more importantly; Naruto-kun, will you surrender now, or do we really have to be rough? Kisame would prefer to be rough. If you remember last time you two met, he considered to chop off your legs to prevent you from trying to run away. And that time you were in better condition than you are now. Tell me: Did you put up a good fight or what?"

Naruto was on the edge of despair. He had finally escaped Orochimaru, with the help from a stranger. But he had only escaped to run into the arms of Akatsuki. And to make things worse, it was Itachi Uchiha and the Monster of the Hidden Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki. He had heard the rumours about Kisame from the others. Of how easy he took on Gai, Neji, Lee and Tenten and the crimes he had committed in the Water Country. Itachi wasn't any better. Killed his entire clan, put Kakashi in the hospital etc. And he remembered their last fight with Itachi when they were sent to retrieve Gaara. And back then it hadn't been the real Itachi and Kisame with their full powers.

Naruto looked at the two men. He was out of his league with these guys, he knew that. But he wasn't going to surrender without a fight.

He was careful not to look into Itachi's eyes. "Before I answer your questions, then answer mine. Are you the real Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki? Or are you mere copies of them?"

Kisame laughed, sending shivers down Naruto's spine. "And why should we answer that? It is irrelevant whether we are copies or not, we are still stronger than you. So why bother to answer your question?"

Itachi smiled slightly. "Now you are being rude, Kisame. I would be more surprised if he hadn't asked that question. It is only natural to be curious and tense in a hopeless situation. Otherwise people wouldn't be able to plan an escape or a counterattack. Naruto-kun, I can assure you of this: We are the real Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Now it is your turn to answer our questions: What happened to you? And are you going to come quietly or do we really have to be rough? Take your time, we have time enough."

Naruto frowned. It wasn't like Itachi to be like this. The last time they met, Itachi and Kakashi had talked and then engaged in battle. But to have a conversation with him, a Jinchuuriki, wasn't what he expected from the Akatsuki member. And especially not giving a Jinchuuriki a choice whether to surrender or fight.

"Well, I guess I should answer your question. Orochimaru abducted me for some reason. I heard that he was planning to use me as a mean to negotiate with your organization. I guess he wanted you to help to crush the Leaf. But he didn't exactly plan on giving me to you alive. About my condition; I wish I could say that I did put up a good fight, but no. Those wounds are from the torture, or tests as Orochimaru calls it, I went through. And Itachi; You have had a bad influence on Sasuke. He has become as heartless as you."

Itachi furrowed his brow. This was disturbing news. If they were true. "I see. But you are still not answering my question: Do you surrender or do we have to subdue you by force?

Naruto smiled weakly. "Oh yeah. As for that one; I might be weakened after Orochimaru's hospitality, but my answer must be… I would rather die than surrender, believe it!"

Naruto lunged towards the two men. Itachi dodged his kick easily, but Kisame had been so bored by the chat that he almost fell he woke up when Naruto's kick hit him square in the face, sending him some few steps backwards

Itachi started to laugh. He couldn't help it. A moment ago Kisame had been leaning against his sword, trying not to fall. Now he stood with Naruto's foodprint crossing his nose, with a dumbfounded look on his face.

Itachi stopped laughing, but he still had a smile on his lips. "Kisame, what was that? Have you grown weak or something? Even Murdgaki isn't that easy to hit."

Kisame just looked at Itachi, then at Naruto. Then his expression changed. He was clearly furious. He gritted his shark-like teeths, leveled his sword at Naruto and snarled. "You little brat! I'm gonna cut off those annoying legs of yours! And I will truly enjoy to pull that Bijuu out of you!"

Naruto stared at him. "I really don't think you will cut off anything , cod face. You see, I plan on dying here. And with me, the Nine-Tails will also die. How do you think the rest of Akatsuki will react to those news? I think I have the advantage here, believe it!"

Kisame and Itachi frowned. They looked at each other, and saw the same thoughts mirrored in the other. This blond wasn't as dumb as they thought. And his worn out appearence made him look more impressive than last time.

A pillar of fire erupted in the direction of Orochimaru's hideout, giving Itachi a clear view of Naruto's body. He narrowed his eyes. This could be harder than he thought. Especially with the wounds near the kidneys and heart. They couldn't be as rough on him as they thought they could. He had lost a lot of blood, and if he was seriously injured and lost more blood he would most likely die. On the other hand; they couldn't go too easy on him, because then he would most likely do the necessary harm to himself.

Itachi smiled slightly. He remembered a situation that was a little similar to this when he was in the ANBU.

Actually, it was on his very first mission as an ANBU. Kakashi had been their captain on that mission. Their mission was to assasinate a group of 12 Rock sninobi. But they had been caught and beaten for three days as the Rock ninjas wanted to know where they came from and their purpose. Then Kakashi, who had managed to fight his way out of the ambush the Rock ninjas had set up, had arrived. He claimed that he was the only one who knew their mission's real purpose. When the enemy had moved to kill Kakashi, he had said that he would save them the trouble, but then they would never find out the group's purpose. Kakashi had stabbed himself in the right lung. Or so it seemed. In reality he stabbed some very hard folded clothes that were wrapped around a small piece of wood. The enemy had fallen into Kakashi's trap as he pretended to be dead. The enemy had moved towards Kakashi, and when they realized thier mistake it was too late. Kakashi had killed three of them before freeing his comrades. Then they had made short work of the rest. Itachi wasn't ashamed of admitting it: Kakashi had saved his ass back then. But that was the past, and Itachi had saved Kakashi on another ANBU mission so they were even.

But he wondered if the boy in front of him had the same guts as his sensei.

But now Itachi had to think of how to prevent Naruto from injuring himself. Unlike Kakashi, Naruto had nothing to shield himself with and he didn't know the anatomy of a human quite as well as Kakashi did. And they needed to know what they should do if he really injured himself. There were no healers neraby. This was starting to become more difficult than Itachi ever imagined possible.

Itachi glanced at Kisame. He too seemed to be aware of the situation. But Naruto didn't had the advantage. Itachi knew what to do.

"Naruto-kun, don't be foolish. We both know that you are in no condition to fight. Furthermore, you are not your sensei. Neither in skill nor intelligence. In other words; a counterattack isn't a possibility. That goes for an escape too."

Kisame smiled. He hadn't attacked Naruto, because he already knew what Itachi would do.

Naruto stared at Itachi. It was a bit difficult, because of the tears pooling in his eyes. Partly because he knew Itachi was right in his entire statement, partly because his wounds and entire body hurt. But what really hurt Naruto wasn't that Itachi had stated his hopeless situation. What really hurt him was that Itachi had compared him to Kakashi like that. Naruto knew very well that he wasn't at Kakashi's level. He doubted that he would ever come that far. But then he snapped out of it. This wasn't the time to think about that. Now, he would show Itachi that his training with Kakashi hadn't been in vain.

Naruto wiped the tears away and stared at Itachi, still without locking eyes with him. "Well, it is true that I'm not as skilled and intelligent as Kakashi-sensei. But we won't know whether a counterattack or an escape is possible till we try, right? Shadow clone jutsu!"

About 20 Narutos appeared. Itachi sighed. His Sharingan wasn't going to be deceived by shadow clones. "Kisame, go ahead. But don't be too rough on him. He is nothing worth if he's death."

Kisame smirked with delight. "Gladly."

All of the Narutos tensed. Then some of them attacked. Kisame made short process with ten of them, simply by waving his sword.

Kisame laughed. "Is this all you got boy? I'm not even breaking a sweat!"

"Na-ru-to Uzumaki Barrage! (English dub name for U-zu-ma-ki Naruto Rendan!)" Kisame was suddenly airborne by the first three's sliding attack. But before the final kick hit its target, Kisame blocked it by his sword, and dispatched the airborne clone with a punch. Then he landed on top of a small nearby river Naruto hadn't noticed.

Kisame made a series of hand seals. "Water element; Water Shark Missile jutsu!" A huge shark made of water emerged, destroying the rest of the clones.

Kisame laughed even harder. "Better, but not good enough. So where are you hiding or where did you ran off to? Right? Left? Behind? Above? (Kisame looked accordingly in each direction).

Kisame looked confused. Itachi didn't do anything. A shout caught Kisame's attention.

"You forgot below, cod face!" 6 Narutos rose from the water, and 4 of them launched a series of kicks and blows at Kisame. He easily blocked them and destroyed them.

"Rasengan!"

Kisame blocked it with his sword, which absorbed the chakra, and destroyed the clone who had tried to attack him with a complete Rasengan.

Kisame chuckled. "This is actually getting a bit amusing. But I see you forgot that my big blade, Samehada (litteraly Shark skin) absorbs chakra. Hehe. Now I'm going to finish this."

Naruto panted. Then a small smile crept over his face. "No, cod face, I didn't forget about that annoying blade's ability to absorb chakra. That's why I'm going to separate you from it, believe it!"

Kisame frowned. Then he started to laugh harder than before. "You, separate me from my sword? That was a good one! You are barely able to stand and fight, so how are you going to separate me from my sword? Hurry up and tell me before I die laughing!"

Naruto's smile widened. "Well, it would quite convenient for me if you died laughing, but I guess that isn't going to be the case. Look at the blade's right side."

Kisame smirked, but he did as Naruto suggested, turning the sword around. "Huh? And just where am I supposed to look?"

A sound near the handle caught his attention. His eyes widened. "Huh? That sou… SHIT!"

CRAABOUUM!

The explosive tag went off more or less in front of Kisame's face, sending him flying towards the edge of the riverbank where Itachi stood, and the sword towards Naruto. The sword hit Naruto right in the face.

Then, to Kisame's surprise, Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke. "A shadow clone!? When did h…"

"I got you now! Rasengan!"

Kisame was still airborne, so he couldn't avoid the impact of the jutsu since Naruto attacked from behind. Luckily for him the jutsu wasn't at full power due to Naruto's fatigued state. Naruto couldn't any longer maintain the rotation or power supply required. But it still had some effect. The Rasengan, which was smaller than before and had started to disperse, hit Kisame in the middle of his back causing him to fly through the air and hit a tree on the opposite riverbank. He hit the tree face first, and landed on his back

(The river is about 15-20 meters broad.)

Naruto stood on the riverbank opposing the one where Kisame just landed. Naruto almost couldn't breathe. This fight was putting a serious strain on his already worn down body. He slowly turned to face Itachi.

"Well, Itachi. Now it is your turn."

Itachi looked at Naruto. Naruto was trembling, but Itachi wasn't sure whether it was because he was afraid or because of exhaustation. Still, Itachi was impressed. That Naruto was able to put up a fight like that was impressive. Especially considering his condition.

"Well, shall we begin? Or do you plan on just waiting for me to collapse?"

Itachi sighed. "Naruto-kun that is a tempting suggestion. But it won't be the case. I plan on finishing this little game. But since you are not in your best state and low on power, I will fight with a handicap. I will fight with only one arm. But before we start, I will give you some praise. That you was able to fight Kisame like that when he wasn't using more than 10 % of his power, considering your state, is quite impressive. Especially when you stole some of Kisame's explosive tags when your clones attacked him from the water. I guess that the rest of the exploding tags became useless, when Kisame dispatched of the clones and the tags became wet. Of course some of it must be to your senseis' credit. I guess it pays off to have two genius sninobis as senseis. First Kakashi-san and then Jiraiya-san. And then of course your own unpredictable way of thinking."

Naruto just stared at him. "Thank you, Itachi. I will tell them what you said, as soon as I get back to the Leaf!" And with that he lunged towards Itachi.

Itachi didn't bother to block Naruto's kicks and blows. He merely dodged them. Then, with a swift blow to Naruto's chin, Itachi sent Naruto straight up in the air. Naruto let out a groan and coughed up a bit of blood. But before Naruto got too far in the air, Itachi grabbed Naruto around the left shin with his right hand and pounded him into the ground. Then Itachi tightened his grasp and with a swift twist with his wrist, Itachi broke Naruto's shin; making sure to keep the bone inside of Naruto's leg. Otherwise Naruto might lose too much blood and die.

Naruto screamed of pain and tears filled his eyes. He tried to grab his leg as a natural reflex, but the rest of his body protested so much that he couldn't.

Itachi released his grip, making sure Naruto wasn't able to do anything more and . "However; how genius your senseis might be, then you aren't them. And even if you had been in your best state, it wouldn't be enough. The gap between the two of us is too big. It goes for experience, skill and intelligence. But most important is that you can't fight the Sharingan one-on-one. I believe that the old lady from the Sand told you: 'When it is one-on-one, run away'. Two more things: One: I planned to take you out with another thing where you lack experience; Highspeed battle. You wouldn't be able to keep up. Not in this state or any other. Two: You can thank Kakashi-san for that you are in this situation."

Naruto's eyes widened, causing his tears to become completely visible. "You…You are lying! Kakashi-sensei would never… he would never hurt me! So stop lying, you bastard!"

Itachi shook his head. "You fool. Indeed, Kakashi-san would never hurt you. He is guilty in your suffering because…"

He was cut off by Naruto, who groaned now and then. "Kakashi-sensei…guilty? What the hell… are you… saying? Spill it!"

Itachi merely looked at Naruto, then over his shoulder. He saw that Kisame had retrieved his sword, and was now walking towards them. Then he looked at Naruto, his face as unreadable as ever. "Naruto-kun; you wouldn't be here, yelling at me, if it wasn't for Kakashi-san. You see… He saved my life."

Naruto paled and with great effort he wiped away the tears. "Kakashi-sensei… saved…. you? Kakashi-sensei… saved… saved… your… life?"

Itachi merely nodded, as Kisame reached him. Kisame was fuming. His clothes was covered in dust and he had some very nasty bruises. And his expression left no doubt. He was furious and ready to kill Naruto, Jinchuuriki or not. But when he saw Naruto lying on the ground with tears in his eyes, he smiled. "You are very unfair, Itachi-san. How come I had to hold back? Because you clearly didn't. His shin seems to be broken." He stepped on Naruto's shin with his left foot, causing Naruto to scream out in pain.

Itachi put some of his hair behind his right ear and shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Fetch Zetsu."

Kisame laughed. "All right. But before that…" Kisame kicked Naruto hard on the side of his head. "Sweet dreams… or not!"

As he walked away, Naruto was able to hear him laugh. "Kakashi-sensei…" Then everything went black for Naruto's eyes.

Zetsu and Kisame returned.

Zetsu eyed Naruto. He smiled and the dark side spoke. "Excellent. The Leader will be pleased. Murdgaki has recovered from that little discussion you two had, and Deidara has finally got accustomed to that metal arm that Shredkill made for him. Also, he is now able to control that arm with his ring on it after Shredkill's operation. And now we have another Jinchuuriki."

Itachi frowned. "What about Shredkill? Does he know who killed Tobi?"

Zetsu's white side answered. "No. I'm afraid that he doesn't know. In other words, we are no closer to figuring out where the ring is. Which means that we are no closer to enroll Blackrose in our ranks."

Kisame cursed and was about to say something, when Zetsu's black side cut him off. "I said no, damn it! She isn't fit to become a member of Akatsuki! Her urges can't be suppressed! Her urges for blood are even worse than ours and…"

"So when we find the ring, we will enroll her and…"

"Damn it! Just how many times have we been through this? I keep telling you that…"

Itachi had had enough. "Shut up. Both of you. Just bring the Jinchuuriki to the cave in sector 12. It is about two days from here. But the cave isn't large enough for the statue to appear. But the old castle, Satur, near the border to the Earth country is. That way the Hidden Leaf won't be able to interfere. Few know where it is. But be careful with the Jinchuuriki. If you aren't, he might die. Inform The Leader that we will meet him there."

Zetsu nodded. He flung Naruto over his right shoulder. Then he stopped and looked at Itachi. His white side spoke. "The Leader is already there. But what about Devalan and Blackrose? Where are they? We are supposed to meet in that cave anyway, and not just as astral projections. The Leader won't be pleased if they are missing"

Kisame furrowed his brow. "Come to think of it. Where are they? We can't just leave them behind. What do you say Itachi-san? Shall we wait for them?"

Itachi furrowed his brow as well. Personally he would prefer to leave them behind, but he knew how The Leader would react. He thought for a moment. Then he sighed. "No, we won't be waiting. They went into the hideout before I gave permission. Zetsu, you stay here and wait. Make sure to hide Naruto-kun; just in case someone troublesome appears. Kisame and I will go ahead. Make sure that Devalan and Blackrose get the message."

Zetsu dark side growled. "Typical. Just leave the boring and dirty job to me."

His white side spoke up. "We will do it. You are in charge Itachi. Just go ahead."

Not wanting to hear the two sides argue again, Itachi motioned for Kisame to follow him. Kisame nodded and smirked before they leaped into the darkness. 2 minutes later, they could still hear the argument.

---

Two hours went by, and Devalan and Blackrose still hadn't appeared. Zetsu was starting to lose his patience. Both sides. And he was thinking about that weird seal on Naruto's forehead. Itachi hadn't said anything about it. He looked in the direction where he had hid Naruto. A movement behind him made him turn around.

Devalan and Blackrose appeared. When they came into Zetsu's field of vision, he frowned. Devalan was carrying a person over his shoulder. He had a bit of dust on him, but was otherwise unharmed.

Blackrose had also dust on her. Then Zetsu noticed the blood by her lips.

Zetsu black side growled. "You are late. What happened? And why are carrying…"

Devalan growled. "Shut it, you piece of weed. This Jinchuuriki wasn't exactly a pushover you know."

Zetsu's dark side scowled at Devalan. "But the Jinchuuriki is right…"

"Here."

Devalan dropped the person he was carrying. Zetsu looked down. By his feet was… Naruto. And he looked just like the Naruto that Zetsu had hid, except for the broken shin.

Zetsu was confused, which his white side clearly showed. "This can't be. We have already captured the Jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tails." He went over and pulled quite brutally the Naruto with the broken shin out of a trunk and put him beside the other.

Devalan looked from one Naruto to the other. Then he cursed. "How are we supposed to tell the difference? And where are Itachi and Kisame?"

Zetsu shook his head. His white side answered. "This could be genjutsu." He formed the necessary hand seal, and for once both sides spoke as one. "Release!"

No effect. Zetsu and Devalan cursed. Then they looked at Blackrose.

Blackrose shook her head. "No result. The only thing a could taste in his blood was anger. Not unusual for a Jinchuuriki I guess. But for some reason, I couldn't see his memories or fears. Normally, when I taste a persons blood, I can tell fears, emotions, strenght, and see the memories. But something blocks me out for almost all of those valuable informations"

Zetsu's dark side wasn't pleased. But it was his white side that came to a decision. "We'll bring both of them to the cave. It's the cave in sector 12. We are supposed to regroup there. Be there on time." With that Zetsu took one Naruto under each arm and disappeared into the ground.

Devalan was furious. "Let's get moving."

Blackrose and Devalan leaped into the trees in the same direction as Itachi and Kisame.

None of the 4 Akatsuki members or Blackrose knew that a spy had seen and heard everything.

___

It had been one night since Kakashi had left the Leaf Village. But he wasn't the only one.

"THEY DID WHAT?!"

Tsunade's yell caused the new windows to shatter.

Gai swallowed hard. Tsunade was in a foul mood, and he was worried. "Last night, after Kakashi left the Leaf, Neji and two others infiltrated Root's headquarters. It appears that the new member of Team 7, Sai, helped him and the others. Sai is in the hospital, so it seems that the Root found out about his part. They knocked out three members of Root, and stole some robes and masks. Afterwards Neji and the others left the Leaf; I think they might be pursuing Kakashi."

Tsunade sighed. "Very well. I want the ANBU to guard Sai immediately and constantly. Has it been confirmed who the others intruders were?"

The ANBU captian nodded and disappeared.

Shizune sighed nervously. "No, Lady Tsunade."

"I wish I had been among them. Why won't you let me go?! I can help and…"

Kurenai stopped Kiba by putting a hand over his mouth. "Shut up Kiba! This is not the time! You and Shino were easy to find. And Hinata is still in the hospital. But Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Lee and Sakura have disappeared. If you want to help, then do as Tenten and tell us where they are. If you don't, they might be endangered more than they already are."

Kiba paled. "More than they are by now? How?"

Tsunade sighed. "Kiba, you got to understand something. When we don't know where they are, we can't protect them."

Kiba smiled. "And if you don't know where they are, then you can't stop them from what they are doing. Originally, more of us were supposed to go. But Shino and I were caught before we managed to regroup with the others."

Tsunade scowled. "Kiba, this is serious. They have more worries than you think. Not only do they risk to run into Orochimaru. There is also a risk that they might run into Akatsuki. And by infiltrating Root, they got them to worry about too. And on top of that: They have to worry about Kakashi as well."

Kiba laughed. "Kakashi? Well, sure he will be pissed at us for disobeying what he said. But I doubt that he will harm them."

Shino shook his head. "No. He might harm them. Why? Because they are most likely disguised as Root members. If he thinks that they are there to eliminate him or Naruto, he might take them out without asking first."

Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly. Do you understand now Kiba? So please, tell us where they are."

Kiba paled. Now he knew how serious this was and how stupid they had been. "I wish I could tell you. But there is one big problem: Aside from Neji, I don't know who else went and where they are. We agreed on that, so that we would be harder to track."

Tsunade furrowed her brow. She had to hand it to them: It was the right strategy to use to make it harder for an enemy to track them down. But now that plan backfired.

She sighed. "Very well. Keep looking. Until we hear news, you are dismissed."

Asuma, Kurenai, Gai and Shino nodded and left the office. Kiba soon followed, his head lowered. Only Tenten stayed behind.

Tsunade sighed. "Tenten, I'm sure that Neji is fine. He is a jounin and a Hyuuga. So he isn't a pushover."

Tenten nodded and wiped a tear away. "Thank you Lady Hokage. It's just that he is my boyfriend. And I simply can't bear the thought of losing him."

Tsunade looked at the young woman. She knew all too well how it was to lose a beloved one, and all the feelings that followed. The feeling of powerlessness ,the sorrow, the loneliness and the feeling of the world falling apart. But also the thoughts like 'If I just had been better, he would never have died. Why didn't I stop him? I should have tried harder. If… if…' The feeling of being insufficient. blaming yourself was the worst part. Tsunade just hoped that Tenten never would feel those things. At least not while she was so young.

She sighed. "Tenten, I know how you feel. I know it all too well. But trust me. It doesn't do any good to worry about those things. You just have to enjoy them while they last. And when the relationship ends, you will have a lot of happy memories. Now, go home and sleep. I think you need it."

Tenten nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Lady Hokage. I will take your advice. After all, you have more years of experience in this field than I do. A lot more."

A vein popped up near Tsunade's right temple and she got a dark expression on her face as she stood up. "What was that?! You just wait till I get my hands on you, you little…"

Tenten realized her mistake and she ran for her dear life towards the door. "Good night, Lady Hokage!"

As the door slammed behind Tenten, Tsunade sat down. She was chukling. "Works every time. The poor girl needs her sleep."

Jiraiya chuckled. "You could have fooled me. So, it was only a trick? It seemed so real when Tenten refered to your age."

Tsunade slowly turned her head, looking at Jiraiya. "Did you say something?"

Jiraiya held out his hands in surrender. "No no no. I didn't say anything." Then he saw Tsunade's expression. He sighed. "Look, we are all worried. About Naruto, Neji and the others. But as you said to Tenten, it doesn't do any good to worry about those things. Besides: Kakashi is out there. He will do all in his power to bring Naruto and the others back safely. And then you will once again have Naruto to call you Granny."

Tsunade smiled. It was a sad one, but it was still a smile. "I know. But that is what worries me too. If they approach Kakashi while dressed as Root members, he is most likely to kill them. And another thing is that he left alone, without leaving a note behind. I understand his reasons for leaving me, you and the youngsters behind. But why didn't he take Asuma, Gai, Kurenai or some other jounins with him? Doesn't he know that…"

Tsunade glanced at Shizune, who shook her head. "No, I'm afraid he doesn't know."

Tsunade sighed and turned around so that she faced the night. "A storm is coming. We better prepare for it. Kakashi; both you and Naruto better get back safely."

__

Kakashi was sleepy. It had taken a while, but now he had finally shaken off those annoying pursuers. They had been keeping their distance for 24 hours, and he guessed that he had been followed since he left the Leaf.

He had hidden his green tent with a genjutsu and was preparing for, hopefully, a good night's sleep. But he was worried. Pakkun and the others of his dogs hadn't returned yet. And he was also worried that Naruto already was dead. And then there were those pests following him.

Kakashi took of his vest and shirt. "I guess I better finish off those annoying Root members tomorrow. That way both I and Lady Tsunade will have less to worry about. And hopefully Pakkun will return tomorrow with news of Naruto's whereabouts."

Kakashi yawned and was almost down in his sleeping bag, when a scream of pain reached his ears.

"That scream… Don't tell me!?!"

Kakashi was out of his sleeping bag and tent in the blink of an eye. He looked around, trying to locate where the scream came from. Then his eye caught sight of something. A strange red light among the trees. "That light… Too big to be a campfire. But it is definitively fire."

And with that he took off, only wearing his sandals, pants, holster for kunais, the pouch with shurikens and his book, his mask and headband.

___

The clearing was peaceful.

They were still wearing their cloaks and masks. They were sitting around the campfire, as they already had set up the tents.

They were frustrated. They had lost track of Kakashi. They knew he wouldn't be easy to keep up with, but that they already had lost track of him was too much. Right now they were waiting for Neji to return. Hopefully he would be able to find Kakashi with his Byakugan. But they doubted it.

A girl's voice spoke. "How long has it been since Neji took off?"

The other shrugged and answered. It was a boy's voice. "I don't know. Oh man, I can't believe you actually talked me into more than just planning the infiltration."

"Knock it off. You want Naruto back too, right? Besides, we couldn't have kept up with Kakashi-semsei if it wasn't for you."

The boy growled. "Yeah, I want Naruto back too. I just thought that others than the three of us would make it to the gate. The plan was to meet at the gate. If we got detected, we should go hiding. But to blackmail me like that was… Watch out!"

Their campfire suddenly belched out great twirling spurts of flames. Some of the flames hit the girl, putting her aflame. The boy dodged the flames, causing the flames to hit 7 trees instead, putting aflame instantly.

The girl screamed as she tried to remove the burning the cloak. But then the cloak suddenly stopped burning. The girl panted. But she didn't get much rest. As she straightened up in a standing position, she was hit right in the face by a kick. She flew across the clearing, hit a tree and fell to the ground. The boy was right by her side as the mask shattered, reveaking her pink hair.

"Sakura, are you okay?"

Sakura removed the cloak and wiped away some blood from her mouth. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They both looked at their attackers, who were standing next to the campfire in the middle of the clearing

The first one was huge man. His skin was more red than blood, his white eyes emitting more murderous intent than Itachi's and Orochimaru's ever had and his teeth were sharp. He was wearing a large scythe on his back, the blade was blood-red and with a strange glow. But most remarkable was the horns on his head. White horn was pointing 30-40 inches right in the air, with long black hair between the horns.

The other was a woman. She was slender and had a well-proportioned figure, green-grey eyes, dark blue hair that reached her shoulders. Her skin was slightly tan. But she was not a member of Akatsuki, for both the cloak and ring was missing. She wore a black cloak with yellow stripes. She was about as tall as Kurenai, if Sakura was to judge. A little bit smaller.

Sakura tensed as fear grabbed her. She could tell that the boy beside her reacted in a similar way. They looked at the man and saw the red skies imprinted on his cloak. And the ring was good enough. It was located on his left middle finger. He was a member of Akatsuki.

The man spoke with a malice, sending shivers through Sakura's entire body. "Huh? Just a girl? I guess the other is just another youngster then. How disappointing. I was looking forward to fight some members of the Hidden Leaf's ANBU. Would you like to handle them, Blackrose?"

The woman eyed the two in front of her. She spoke with a soft voice. But the voice hold more murderous intent than the man's eyes did. "No thank you, Master Devalan. I'm not quite in the mood. You can have the person with the mask. I will deal with the slut with the pink hair."

With that, Blackrose charged towards Sakura. Sakura barely dodged her blow that hit the tree.

CRAAACKKCCCRRAACK.

The tree splitted from where the fist made contact and 7 meters upwards. When Blackrose removed her hand, was there a rough hole through the 1,5 meters broad tree.

Sakura panted. This woman was serious. And she was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Blackrose smiled. "Is there something wrong, little slut? I thought the Hidden Leaf Village wanted to eliminate Akatsuki. Well, I might not be a member yet, but I'm strong."

Sakura looked from the woman to the hole in the tree and back to the woman. "Don't call me a slut, you bitch. If you do, you will pay."

Blackrose laughed. "We'll see about that. And please don't call me a bitch. It makes me sound old. I'm only 17, you know."

Sakura paled. "No way! How can you be so young and almost be a member of Akatsuki?"

Blackrose smiled. "Doesn't matter. According to the rumours, Itachi Uchiha was younger when he joined. Hehe. He is quite attractive, don't you think? But on the other hand; a slut like you have probably never been in love or slept with someone before."

Sakura looked at the young woman. She was startled. 17 years old, and almost a member of Akatsuki. She just missed the ring and the robes. And Itachi had been younger? She remebered the last time she had seen Itachi. He was powerful opponent, and she hadn't seen his full power yet. Then she got a hold of herself.

She put on her gloves and locked eyes with Blackrose. "I might not have slept with someone, but I'm in love with someone. So don't you dare look down on me!"

Blackrose tipped her head to the left. "Oh. Really? And who could that be? Nevermind. Cause you are going to die right here, right now!"

Blackrose charged towards Sakura, her right fist clenched and ready to strike. She reached Sakura, punched and… WHAM!

Sakura's chakra enhanced fist hit Blackrose square in her face, causing her to fly 40 meters through the air before she went through 7 trees, and was soon burried in dust, earth and timber.

Sakura smirked. "I told you, didn't I? That you would pay if you called me a slut. I also told you that you shouldn't look down on me. But you are just some crazy bitch!"

The guy with the mask stood up and removed his mask. It was Shikamaru. "Now I understand why Naruto is careful when Sakura is around. That punch must have hurt. But how troublesome it might be, we still need to fight this guy."

He looked at Devalan.

Devalan hadn't moved an inch. He looked at Sakura, then at the place where Blackrose was burried. Then he smiled. "Oh? Didn't see that coming. Are as you as strong as well, boy? This might be more interesting than I thought. And… Ah, there you are."

A rattling of leaves and a cloak made Sakura and Shikamaru look in the direction. Their eyes went wide.

Blackrose was standing there, in the edge of the clearing. She was covered in dust, and had some few bruises. Otherwise she seemed to be unharmed.

But she wasn't smiling anymore. "It seems I underetimated you, you little slut. That was one heck of a right hook, I will give you that."

Sakura couldn't believe what she saw. "Impossible! How can you be alive?! How can you even stand?!"

Blackrose looked at Sakura, the bloodthirst visible in her eyes. "None of your business, slut. And I told you not to call me bitch because it makes me feel old, didn't I? Now you are going to die!"

Blackrose charged with incredible speed. But just as she reached the Sakura, who barely had lifted her hands for defense, she stopped.

Blackrose was confused. "What the…? My body… won't move."

Shikamaru smiled. "Shadow Imitation jutsu… succesful! Thanks for putting the trees aflame."

"Don't forget me, boy!"

Devalan charged towards Shikamaru, his scythe above his head.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Shit…"

"Rotation!"

Devalan was thrown backwards, as his body made contact with Neji's spinnig wall of chakra.

Devalan looked at the newcomer, who had jumped in between himself and Shikamaru. "And just who are you? Another brat that wants to be a hero?"

Neji just looked at him. Then he looked at Blackrose and the back at Devalan. "You have a tremendous amount of chakra. But not as big as that shark-like man I fought."

Devalan smirked. "Shark-like? Oh, you mean Kisame? Indeed, I don't have as much chakra as Kisame. But…"

Devalan disappeared in glimpse of fire, just to reappear right behind Shikamaru and Neji. "I'm as strong as he is!" His kick sent Shikamaru flying across the clearing, but Neji avoided it thanks to his nearly 360º field of sight.

Neji jumped sideways, and prepared for Devalan's next attack. It came immediately. Scythe above his head, Devalan charged. He jumped and launced a blow with his scythe.

"Rotation!"

Neji's jutsu worked. Almost. The blow was stopped, but the blade had just made contact with the chakra wall, before it started emitting flames. The heat was so intense that Neji slowly stopped rotating. Devalan saw the opening in an instant. His kick hit Neji in the chest, causing him to fly into a tree opposite where he had just been. Neji coughed up some blood, but was quickly back on his feet.

---

Blackrose was able to move again after Devalan had kicked Shikamaru in the head. But just as she attacked, Sakura made a full-round kick that blocked Blackrose's punch and hit Blackrose in the stomach with a chakra enhanced blow, sending Blackrose backwards and through a tree.

Blackrose coughed a little, but seemed to be okay. "You little slut. Seems I can't afford to hold back after all. Very well. I will show you some of my full strenght."

She started to transform. Sakura's eyes went wide in horror. Blackrose's hair disappeared, her pupils shifted to slits and the colour shifted to yellow. Her skin shifted to black scales, her nose flattened and became part of her upper part of her mouth. The under part of her mouth grew till that and the upper part was equal in size. A large, black and muscular scaled tail sprouted and she grew in size. Suddenly she was taller than Kisame. But what really scared Sakura was the fingers. Or more correctly; the fingertips. Her hands was covered with black scales, logically enough, but her nails had changed into razor sharp grey claws, approximately 5,5 inches long. She looked like a huge lizard, standing on its hind legs.

Blackrose smiled at the horrified Sakura, revealing while pointed teeth that equaled Kisame's. Her voice was more like hissing "Now then. Shall we begin, slut?"

Blackrose charged towards Sakura, and they began a ferocious taijutsu battle.

---

Neji saw the transformation and saw the increasement of chakra. It was monstrous. It didn't reach Devalan's level, but it was close. But he couldn't help Sakura, because right now he was occupied with keeping Devalan at bay. It wasn't easy. Devalan's teleportation was so fast that Neji had a hard time keeping up. And Devalan's blows were devastating. Neji was breathing hard. Then he took up a stance, just as Devalan charged again.

Neji waited until Devalan was within his range "Gentle fist art: 8 trigrams, 64 palms!"

The series of blows hit Devalan and he froze in his trail. He looked at Neji. Neji panted. Neji was giving no warning. Devalan's punch made Neji airborne. But he didn't get very far into the air, before Devalan kicked him hard in the chest, sending Neji flying across the clearing and into a tree. Neji hit the ground and he didn't get up again. It started to thunder and bolts of lighting split the sky.

Devalan panted a bit, before turning towards Shikamaru and smirked. "Whoops. Did I forget to mention? My chakra points are larger than normal humans and there are more of them. In other words; They aren't easy to block and they reopen faster, because the other points force them to. Now, is it your turn, boy. Prepare yourself!"

Devalan charged towards Shikamaru but stopped when he heard a scream behind Shikamaru in the far corner of the clearing. Blackrose's scream. His eyes narrowed.

---

Sakura was in trouble. So far she was able to dodge Blackrose's attacks, but it was hard. Blackrose used everything she had. Tail, claws, legs and mouth. She couldn't block, because if she did she would be torn to pieces.

Blackrose and Sakura was a blur of motions. They dodged, jumped, blocked (only Blackrose), punched and kicked.

Sakura enhanced her right hand with chakra, clenched it and punched.

Blackrose grabbed Sakura's hand with her left, stopping Sakura's attack completely. She tighened her grip to the point where she nearly broke the bones. Still, Sakura didn't scream. She panted, but it was mostly because she was tired. Blackrose smirked with that hissing voice. "How does it feel, slut? It hurts, right? And before you ask; No, I didn't enhance my attacks with chakra. I could do it, but all you have seen so far are my own strenght without chakra."

Sakura paled. If that was true… Then Blackrose could be stronger than Tsunade. But Sakura didn't get much time to think, as Blackrose hammered her knee into Sakura's groin and that was soon followed by some swift jabs with her right hand, giving Sakura some wounds criss-crossing her face. Then Blackrose loosened her grip completely, just to kick Sakura in her stomach.

Sakura coughed up some blood as she flew backwards and hit a tree in the far end corner of the clearing.

Sakura slowly got to her feet. She panted hard and her entire body ached for every step she took.

Blackrose made another onslaught, and Sakura didn't have the strenght to defend herself.

Blackrose slashed with her hands. The claws hit Sakura, causing her to groan in pain. The claws tore apart Sakura's shirt and even her bra. Then Blackrose punched Sakura in the stomach and face and hammered her into another tree.

Sakura saw Neji's battle with Devalan and acknowledged that they were doomed. Now she understood why Kakashi had said that he wouldn't bring her and the others with him. They were out of their league. Both in strenght and in experience.

Before Sakura hit the ground, Blackrose's claws on the left hand pierced her right breast as Blackrose grabbed and squeezed it, while the right hand grabbed Sakura's arms around the wrists, nailing Sakura to the trunk, and Blackrose use her weight to keep Sakura in place.

Sakura let out a scream of agony as her breast was pierced. She slowly regained her composure, ignoring the pain in her breast and locked eyes with Blackrose.

Blackrose smirked. "You hopefully didn't think I would let you out of your misery, you slut? I haven't even tasted your blood yet!" And with that, Blackrose burried her teeth in Sakura's left shoulder, near the throat. Sakura screamed her heart out, as the pain run through her entire body.

Sakura didn't know for how long they stood there like that. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Neji block Devalan's scythe and flames the scythe emitted as a response.

Blackrose slowly released her grip around Sakura's breast and the bite. Then she, still slowly, turned around holding Sakura by the wrists, before she dropped her.

Blackrose was now towering over Sakura, who was on her knees, the pain filling her eyes with tears. Sakura just wanted that Blackrose would hurry and finish her off, but she still wanted to live. Blackrose had other plans. Blackrose had her back to the forest and Sakura hadn't strenght enough left to look or stand up.

When Blackrose spoke, she sounded like she was in some sort of ecstasy and her eyes were closed. "That's it. I can feel and see it. Like I could feel your soft breast. I can see your fears. You fear me, you fear that something back in your village shall be discovered. You are worried that a friend is already dead, like you fear for your own life and also for those guy's lives. You are also worried about your sensei, who is somewhere in this forest. It's your ambition to become the greatest Medical ninja in your time. You feel insufficient, because you feel you failed in protecting two of your teammates. The one is a blond with blue eyes, the other has raven dark hair and has been your crush since your time in the Academy. And… oh, I see. You are not just a slut, but a whore too. You have very strong feelings for four boys… Naruto, Sasuke, Lee and Sai. Two of them you have had sex-related dreams about. You want to…"

"Stop it!" Sakura had started crying when Blackrose reached the part with the feeling of being insuffiecient. And now she was about to reveal Sakura's deepest secrets. Now Sakura wished more than anything that Blackrose would kill her, instead of humiliating her by telling her secrets. Sakura saw Neji block Devalan's chakra points, and then being punched and kicked by Devalan, before falling to the round.

Blackrose merely laughed, as she saw the despair in Sakura's eyes and her voice rose a little bit. "You want to take Naruto and Sasuke to the hot springs, being alone with them and have sex in there with them. Hehe. But at least you have dignity enough to not want them both at the same. Hehe. How shall I put this, you little whore? You will never, never, feel the pain from the first time you sleep with someone. Now, look me in the eyes as you di…!!!"

Sakura closed her eyes as Blackrose started screaming, waiting for the lethal claws to cut her throat. But they never did. Instead Sakura felt something hot splatter across her face. Then a sound reached her ears between the claps of thunder. It was a familiar sound. Like birds chirping. Chirping? Where had she heard it before?

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Blackrose's face. There were only two emotions spread across it: Shock and fear. Sakura looked down a little before she found the source of the noice: Something similar to lighting was to be found near Blackrose's heart. Then the lighting vanished, as did the the chirping.

Then she remembered where she had heard the sound before. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Sasuke-kun?"

A familiar voice answered. "Not exactly, Sakura."

The person behind Blackrose tossed Blackrose aside, giving Sakura a clear view of his naked and muscular torso.

Sakura was dumbfounded. Her eyes moved upwards till she saw the mask and two different eyes. Different eyes? Then she realized. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi merely nodded. Then he took the off Blackrose's cloak and handed it to Sakura, without smiling. "Here, put this on. It's not much, but it is better than the shreds you are wearing right now. And you, you little brat." He looked at Blackrose. "Here is a little lecture. One: Don't use such foul language ever again. Not in front of them who are younger than you, nor in front of them in your own agegroup and especially not in front of them who are older than you. Two: When someone says stop, you do it. Whether you like it or not. Three: When something is none of your business… Stay out of it. Somethings are private, and most people would it to stay that way. And four: Keep your ugly face and hands from my student!"

Kakashi lifted his gaze and looked from the startled Shikamaru, to the unconscious Neji, and then at the man near Shikamaru. He furrowed his brow and got a murderous look in his eyes as he saw the cloak with the red clouds.

Another bolt of lighting split the sky, giving Kakashi and Devalan a clear view of each other. Both had a expression of murderous intent on their faces and in their eyes.

End chapter 5.


	7. Chapter 7: Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Heated Showdown in Lightning and Fire! Kakashi vs. Devalan! 

She was nervous. She was nervous for her friends. They hadn't told her what they would do, but Kiba had said that they were going with Kakashi, whether he liked it or not. After all, Naruto was their friend too.

Hinata sighed. Kurenai had visited her earlier that evening, trying to get information out of her. But as the others hadn't told her anything, she couldn't give any.

Shouting from the corridor caught her attention. "Hurry up! Prepare Emergency room 3! Prepare for blood transfusion! You; alert Lady Hokage. An assassination has been attempted. The victim was brought in earlier this evening. The ANBU guard stopped the assassin from finishing his job, but the assassin got away. The guard will survive, but the victim might die during the night. Let's hurry!"

Hinata paled. An assassination attempt? Hinata couldn't stand not knowing who it was. She walked over and opened the door, just as the medics hurried by. Hinata gasped and thought she was going to puke. On the bed was Sai, covered in blood from top to toe. He had several open fractures; especially the arms and legs were in a bad condition. And from what Hinata could see, it seemed that someone had tried to cut his throat, but 'only' managed to cut it halfway.

Hinata staggered back to her bed and sat down. She started to sob. She was glad that it wasn't Kiba or Shino that now were on their way to the surgery, but she felt horrible. Obviously Sai had did something so that their plan could be a success, and now he paid the price for what he had done. And Hinata knew that the plan was to bring Naruto back.

She started to cry. "This… shouldn't have happened. It wouldn't have happened if…if I… if I just… if I just had fought harder against the genjutsu. Then Sai wouldn't be in this situation and the others wouldn't have to do this. And Naruto-kun… Naruto-kun… Naruto-kun wouldn't have been abducted by Orochimaru. Oh God… I'm to blame for what is happening now! It's my fault that Naruto-kun… that Naruto-kun might be… be… be…"

A soft voice from behind cut her off. "Hinata; you can blame yourself for what happened from now and till the day you die. But know this: No one else blames you for what happened."

Hinata wiped away some tears and turned around. "Tenten, what are you doing here?"

Tenten shrugged and walked over to sit beside Hinata. "Couldn't sleep. Lady Tsunade told me to go home and sleep, but I simply couldn't. Then I decided to go and check up on you."

Hinata looked at Tenten. Something was bothering her. And Hinata had a pretty good guess what it was. "Thanks, Tenten. I needed that. But you seem to be quite nervous yourself. Is something wrong?"

Tenten didn't answer. Hinata sighed. "You are worried about Neji, aren't you?"

Tenten turned her head, looked at Hinata, before she looked down. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Yes, I'm worried. I know that he is a genius and that he is most likely the most powerful in our age group. But this time he might be in more than he bargains for. It is Orochimaru he will be dealing with. And that is if he and the others can persuade Kakashi-sensei letting them join him. And according to Shino and some of the adults, Kakashi-sensei might kill them by mistake. You see, they disguised themselves as, what was the name again, something called Root. According to the information, Root is a subdivision or something like that to the ANBU. The Root should have been banned, but for some reason they are still operative."

Hinata thought for a minute before answering. "Tenten, don't worry. As you said, Neji is most likely the most powerful in our age group. Besides, you and he fought an Akatsuki once, right? I haven't fought one myself, but Akatsuki should be some real powerful people. That you and he survived back then says something about you. So don't worry, he will be fine."

Tears started to pool in Tenten's eyes, the despair clear in her voice. "But that's what I'm worried about. There is a risk that they may ran into Akatsuki. And when we fought one, it wasn't the real one. It's just… He has just become my boy friend, and now he risks his life for Naruto. Just because he thinks that it would make you happy to know that he tried. Hinata, I got to ask you this: Did you ask Neji to go on this mission?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I didn't ask him to do it." Tenten gave her a sceptical look, causing Hinata to feel a bit angry with her. "Listen Tenten. Neji and Sakura persuaded Shikamaru into coming up with a plan so that they could sneak out of the village and follow Kakashi-sensei. Kiba, Shino, Ino, Chouji, Lee and Sai were easy to persuade. And I think the reason why they wouldn't tell us more about it than they did, is because they were afraid we might ruin their plan by telling it; even if we didn't intend to. Furthermore: Neji didn't tell you more, because he is worried for you. If you know that he was in danger, then you would most likely rush out to try and help him, right?"

Tenten stifled her sobs a little. Then she smiled at Hinata. "I'm really pathetic. Here I come to try and comfort you. And instead it is me who is comforted."

Hinata put an arm around Tenten, and together they looked at the sky with its approaching lightning. Out of the corner of an eye, Hinata looked at the alarm clock. It was 2 a.m.

The two young women hugged each other and thought as one: "Naruto, Neji and who else that is out there. Come back safely."

None of them noticed the spies outside that were observing them from a nearby tree.

___

Sakura was in shock. From being seconds away from death, she now sat there and looked at Kakashi. She never imagined that Kakashi had that kind of a body.

He had always seemed so skinny to her. She was astonished that she forgot about her clothes condition. (Lack of clothes would be more accurate)

She tipped her head to left to get a better look at him. "Wow. I wonder if Naruto has that many muscles too?"

Kakashi didn't turn around. He just spoke. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

Sakura blushed till she reached a colour similar to Devalan's. "No no no no! I didn't say anything!"

Inner Sakura: "Whew. That was too close! Get a hold of yourself, would ya? Damn it!"

Kakashi merely nodded. "Sakura; get somewhere safe and start healing yourself. Shikamaru; get yourself and Neji out of here and get Sakura to tend to you. When you are done, I want you to get the hell out of here."

Shikamaru looked at Kakashi. He couldn't understand how Kakashi had come there without anybody noticing. And like Sakura he was in a state of shock. He too had been on the verge of death. Then he looked at Neji's lifeless body, before looking back at Kakashi.

He closed his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry. I don't think there is anymore we can do for Neji. I think… he is dead."

Sakura's face paled for the entire colour it had and she put her hands up to her mouth. Kakashi didn't move.

He just continued to look at Devalan. He spoke as another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. "If he is dead or not is not the issue. If he is alive he needs medical treatment. If he is dead; he shouldn't be buried in a place like this. My message is the same: get to safety before the fight begins. Get back to the Leaf if possible. I just need you to be far away from here when the fight begins. I have a feeling that this is going to get ugly. Now, go!"

Sakura nodded. But for some reason she still hadn't the senses to put on Blackrose's cloak. Partly because she still looked at Kakashi's torso and arms; partly because of the expression on Shikamaru's face. A face that showed fear and doubt.

Shikamaru was startled. Perhaps it was just his imagination or the lightning and dark together that played a trick on him; but as the bolt of lightning had illuminated the clearing and he got a clear view of Kakashi, he thought he saw something. It was only a brief moment, but Shikamaru was certain that he had seen Kakashi's pupils turn into slits. But when Kakashi stepped forward, it was his normal pupils that were to be seen.

Shikamaru got to his feet and ran towards Neji and passed Devalan.

Devalan saw that Shikamaru ran past him, but he wasn't interested in him. Not for the time being, anyway.

He looked at Kakashi and admitted that this wasn't going to be as easy as it had been with Neji. Kakashi seemed to have a lot more experience in battle, and some of the scars that Devalan could see because of the lightning, told him that this man had been on the verge on death more than once.

But what really puzzled him was the left eye. He had seen eyes like that somewhere before, but where?

Devalan smirked and prepared for the battle. "I see. Another Leaf sninobi. But not like these kids. You are a jounin, am I correct? Hehe. And since you are from the Leaf Village, I guess you would like me to give you a short introduction of myself?"

Kakashi shrugged and answered with a voice cold as ice. "Perhaps. My name is Kakashi Hatake. It seems that this isn't your first encounter with a Leaf sninobi. And Shikamaru, why are you hesitating? I told you to get Neji out of here."

Shikamaru knelt down and searched for Neji's pulse. It wasn't to be found. He looked away, before putting Neji's arm around his shoulder and was about to jump. Then he blushed, just as Devalan sighed and started his introduction.

"The name is Devalan. I'm from the Village Hidden in the Fire. And before you ask about the village I will answer you; The Village Hidden in the Fire is located in a volcano high in the north. I have killed over 500 ninjas and… what the hell??!!!"

He glared at Kakashi with anger and disbelief. Kakashi wasn't paying attention. He just stood there reading his 'Make-out Tactics'.

Kakashi looked up. "Hm? Did you say something?"

Devalan reacted exactly like Gai. (You know what I mean, don't you? Black streaks coming down over Gai's head etc.)

Sakura sweat-dropped before she started to shout. "Kakashi-sensei! How can you be reading your perverted book under these circumstances?! And why aren't you wearing more of your clothes?!"

Kakashi merely scratched the back of his head and put his book back into his pouch. "Ehehe, sorry about that. But he said that he was going to give me a short introduction. But instead he keeps talking. I think I have said this before: There isn't anything more boring than to listen at someone bragging. And why am I not wearing more clothes? You see, I was kind in a hurry. And I could ask you the same thing. Can't you see that Shikamaru is blushing and can't go near you? Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"

Sakura looked at the Shikamaru. He sure enough was blushing. But when Sakura looked at Shikamaru, she incidentally gave him a clear view of her breasts.

She blushed out of shame at her mistake and ran behind a bush, putting on Blackrose's cloak as she shrieked. "Perverts!"

Shikamaru looked after her for moment and shook his head. "Girls. I never learn to understand them. How troublesome."

Shikamaru walked up to Kakashi's side and stopped. "Kakashi-sensei before you start this battle, I have some information. One: Beware of that scythe. It has the ability to belch out flames. Two: This guy is able to teleport. Three: It's only a theory, but somehow this guy controls fire. And… I'm sorry you were dragged into this mess. We should just have stayed home as you told us to do."

Kakashi didn't respond at first. Then he sighed. "Shikamaru, just get Sakura, yourself and Neji out of here."

Shikamaru nodded and took off to where Sakura was hiding. When he was there, he put Neji down and trembled.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "Shikamaru, don't tell me it was the sight of my chest that makes you tremble like that?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "No. It just that I think Neji is dead. And… I'm sure Kakashi-sensei has changed. Back before I'm almost certain that I saw Kakashi-sensei's pupils turned into slits. And I felt a chakra radiating from him. A chakra more sinister than I have ever felt before."

Sakura looked at Kakashi. He seemed normal enough, aside from the missing shirt and vest. Sakura looked at Shikamaru, and saw her own thoughts mirrored in his eyes. None of them had any intentions of doing what they were told and make a run for it.

---

Kakashi and Devalan eyed each other. Then they moved. Devalan's kick was blocked by Kakashi's wrist; Devalan dodged Kakashi's kick and punch. And the sound of metal against metal could be heard between the claps of thunder.

They moved on to high-speed combat, making it impossible for Sakura and Shikamaru to see what happened. They kicked, punched, dodged, blocked, jumped, ducked etc.

For 10 minutes the only thing Sakura and Shikamaru were able to see was glimpses of flames when Devalan teleported, trying to get Kakashi from the behind.

Then, they both skidded to a halt, whirling up dust and earth. They both panted.

Kakashi had a hard time. He was barely able to keep up with this guy's teleportation, even with his Sharingan. The only reason he hadn't been cut to pieces by the scythe was because he was able to feel and hear where Devalan reappeared. But so far it had only been taijutsu, and Devalan hadn't used his scythe's ability that Shikamaru had mentioned. He would have to be careful.

Devalan was furious. He hadn't expected Kakashi to be a pushover, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong either.

Devalan frowned. He knew he had seen an eye like Kakashi's left somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. It was beyond annoying for him.

Devalan glared at Kakashi, trying to get his breath under control. "You are quite strong. I knew this wouldn't be easy, but you are putting up one heck of a fight. No one since Itachi Uchiha has been able to survive this long against me. And he was barely able to deflect and block my attacks. The only reason I lost back then was because of his damned Mangekyou Sharingan. He put me under a special kind of genjutsu. I spent 3 days in that cursed world, being stabbed by Itachi. When I got out of it, only a moment had passed in the real world. That was the only thing I managed to notice before I passed out. I didn't manage to say or do anything before I passed out."

Kakashi frowned. If that was true, this would be harder than he thought. Then, to everyone's surprise, he snorted and smiled. "Too bad for you. I was hold captive in that world for 3 days and I managed to have a conversation with Itachi before I passed out. Hehe. If we had met earlier, you would most likely have won. But not now."

Devalan narrowed his eyes. "So you have experienced that world too? Interesting. But what makes you so sure you won't lose this battle?"

Kakashi continued to smile. "Well, how shall I put this? The best way would most likely be… I have become stronger than Itachi."

Devalan frowned.

The lightning and thunder increased in intensity.

---

"I have become stronger than Itachi."

Sakura paled and gasped. "Stronger than Itachi? Stronger than Itachi Uchiha? Impossible! Kakashi-sensei has been in the hospital; then he has been busy with Naruto's training and on some mission with Master Jiraiya. How on Earth should he have been able to train at all? To become that strong?"

Shikamaru furrowed his brow. What Sakura said made sense. And he knew that Itachi was listed as S-class felon and that he wiped out his clan except for Sasuke. But still… That sinister chakra he had felt was more than just murderous intent.

Shikamaru sighed. "I don't know how he has done it; or if it is even possible. Perhaps it was just a bluff. But Sakura; would you please check Neji? I couldn't find his pulse, but I'm not a medic. I need to be sure. If he is dead… We leave this place at once, because we will just be in the way. And I will take the full responsibility for what happened and bring the news to everyone: Lady Hokage, the Hyuuga clan and Tenten. Agreed?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, not agreed. I will agree we should leave this place because, as you pointed out, we will just be in the way. But I won't let you take full responsibility for this. Neji and I talked you into this. But I will check up on Neji now."

She turned around and prepared to take a look at Neji, her back to the battlefield

Shikamaru simply nodded. Then some red-orange light caught his attention. His eyes widened. "Sakura, GET DOWN!"

Two huge balls of fire passed by on each side of them. And the huge fireballs were soon followed by a swarm of smaller ones.

Sakura just managed to get down in time as the small balls of fire flew right over her head, putting trees and bushes aflame.

She gasped. "That was close. Too close."

Shikamaru nodded. "Let's get some distance between us and this battle. I have a feeling that this battle is going to increase in intensity."

They took Neji's lifeless body between of them and leaped deeper into the forest.

Once they got there, Sakura checked Neji, looking for anything that could indicate that he was alive.

---

Devalan frowned. Then he laughed. "You… stronger than Itachi? Don't make me laugh!"

Kakashi just continued to smile. "I'm not trying to make you laugh. I'm just telling you the truth." Kakashi's smile vanished, and he got eyes and voice as cold as ice. "But I can assure you this; I'm going to put an end to Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. And I'm going to start with you, right here and right now! Fire element: Mythical Firebird jutsu!"

Small fireballs flew towards Devalan. He hadn't noticed that Kakashi made hand seals while they had talked.

Devalan avoided being hit by simply jumping out of the way. When he landed, he opened his mouth two times. The first time two huge fireballs erupted, almost simultaneously.

The second time a swarm of small fireballs burst forth in a wide angle, both horizontal and vertical.

Devalan smiled. Kakashi couldn't escape that and he took the full hit of the small fireballs. But Devalan's smile of joy soon turned into a grimace of anger, when he realized that the only thing he hit was a log and the fireballs, huge and smalls alike, continued into the trees.

Devalan cursed. "A substitution!?! But where did…"

A voice to his right got his attention. "Over here, ugly! Fire Element: Mythical Firebird jutsu!"

Devalan laughed as he held out his left hand towards the incoming fireballs. The fire started to disperse into nothing. "Fool! I can manipulate fire as I please, even the one from an enemy's jutsu! So using 'Fire Element jutsus' against me is… what the?!?"

As soon the fire had dispersed, a shower of shurikens had appeared from the fire. Devalan blocked them by his scythe, causing them to burst into flame and fly into different directions.

Devalan panted and narrowed his eyes at Kakashi. "That was a close one, I will give you that. Hiding shuriken in the flames like that… clever move. I assume that it was the brat with the black hair who gave you a warning about my ability to manipulate fire?"

Kakashi panted. The heat was incredible. The heat and the level of this fight caused him to sweat more than he ever had. Then he locked eyes with Devalan. "Yeah, you are right. Almost. Shikamaru had a theory about your ability to manipulate fire. But it seems that he wasn't aware of its extend. To use fire jutsus without making a hand seal and disperse fire without making a hand seal? Now I understand why Itachi had a hard time with you. The Uchiha clan were, and still are, specialists in 'Fire Element jutsus'. But when the opponent has an ability to neutralize the jutsu, then it doesn't matter if they are specialists or not.

And you give Itachi an even harder time when you aren't making any hand seals. His Sharingan is, more or less, useless then. He won't have any warning of what is coming and he won't be able to copy it. I guess it is a Bloodline-limit?"

Devalan smirked, as he once again got his breath under control. This time he kept an eye on Kakashi's hands, not wanting to be caught off guard again. "Impressive. You are quite right; it is a Bloodline-limit. Most people from my village have the ability to slow down an incoming 'Fire Element jutsu'. But it is only my clan that can do what I can. Teleport and so one. Or to be more correct: Could. You see, I did almost the exact same thing as Itachi did. I wiped out my clan. The only differences are that I left no survivors behind. And I did it just to become unique. According to the rumours, Itachi did it because he wanted to test his limits. And now I'm going to kill you."

Kakashi merely furrowed his brow. "So you did, huh? I would have thought that your appearance was unique enough. Well, doesn't make any difference for me. I'm still going to take you down. Any last words, scum?"

Devalan smiled. "Last words? Well, I doubt it will be my last words, considering I'm going to kill you and those brats. But it would probably be those: You are too late. Akatsuki has captured the Jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tails."

Kakashi didn't react at all. But he could feel his rage and chakra boil inside of him.

Now the lightning was right over their heads and it had only grown in intensity.

---

Even through the thunder, Devalan's voice reached Sakura's ears

"You are too late. Akatsuki has captured the Jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tails."

Sakura gasped and tears immediately filled her eyes and her voice was barely above a whisper. "No. No. It can't be true. It mustn't be! No! Why did this happen? First he was abducted by Orochimaru and Hinata ends up in a state of shock. We head out to persuade Kakashi-sensei to let us join him in his search. And for what? To be in the way… And Neji is dead. And now Naruto has been captured by Akatsuki. Oh Naruto. I would give anything to get you back. So… please… please… Naruto… Please forgive me for every time I have been mean to you. I love you, Naruto!"

The last came out as scream, loud and clear to everyone.

Shikamaru felt a tear run down his cheek. He had lost two of his friends now. He gently placed an arm around Sakura's shoulders, and pulled her into what he hoped would be a comforting hug.

Sakura cried her heart out, her head against Shikamaru's chest. Then a weak voice reached their ears between Sakura's sobbing and the claps of thunder.

"Tenten… is it you? Why are you crying?"

Sakura's eyes shot wide open, as she realized who had spoken. "Neji! Thank goodness! You are still alive!"

Sakura was by Neji's side in less than a blink of an eye and started her treatment.

But then she realized something. "Neji; how can you be alive? Both Shikamaru and I checked you, but we couldn't find your pulse."

Neji coughed up a bit blood. Then he managed a small smile. "I don't know. I felt my chakra and life-force leave faster than I thought possible. My chakra was down to zero. Then… out of nowhere… There was an extreme surge of chakra running through my body. A sinister chakra. Anyway; that sinister chakra gave my own chakra and body such a shock that my chakra increased to a minimum. I haven't been able to do or say anything because I had to, slowly, get that sinister chakra out of my body. It almost tore apart. But… where are the Akatsuki members?"

Shikamaru was relieved. Neji was still alive. And he wanted to know where their opponents were. "Kakashi-sensei took out Sakura's opponent. As far as we know, he is fighting the one who took you down."

Sakura looked at Shikamaru. He hadn't mentioned the news about Naruto. Sakura was glad for that. She still couldn't comprehend what Devalan had said.

"We got to go help Kakashi-san."

Neji tried to stand up, but Sakura and Shikamaru pushed him down again. Gently, but still firm enough.

Sakura smiled. "You aren't going anywhere."

Shikamaru smiled too. "Yeah. It would be troublesome to explain to the ones left behind that you, more or less anyway, lost your life twice."

Neji sighed and laid back. He was so tired. But he really wanted to know what was happening in the battle. "Let's go to the outskirts of the battlefield. I can't use my Byakugan right now. Not enough chakra."

Sakura and Shikamaru looked from Neji to each other. Then they nodded in agreement.

They lifted Neji up from the ground, supporting him on each side and moved towards the outskirts of the battlefield.

---

Kakashi glared at Devalan, rage boiling inside of him. "So, you have captured Naruto? That must mean you find Orochimaru's hideout. Tell me one thing: Did you kill Orochimaru or is he still alive?"

Devalan smirked. "No, we didn't kill Orochimaru. That worm wasn't to found anywhere. We just infiltrated his base last night. Such a fool. Trying to negotiate with us. Wanted us to help crush the Leaf Village in exchange for the Jinchuuriki."

Kakashi frowned. "So that was Orochimaru's plan. Tsk. I should have figured that much out. But I'm glad you didn't kill Orochimaru."

Devalan furrowed his brow in surprise. "And why would that be? And aren't you worried that we got hold of the Jinchuuriki? According to Itachi, you and he should have some close bonds."

Kakashi locked eyes with Devalan. "Yes and no. I'm worried for what you might do to Naruto while he is your captive. But I assure you this: I will save him from you. And I'm glad you didn't kill Orochimaru, because then I can have the pleasure of killing him myself."

Devalan laughed. But he soon stopped. He was startled. "This can't be. Such murderous intent and sinister chakra. What the hell is going on here?!"

Kakashi was done gathering his chakra. "LET'S FINISH THIS!"

Kakashi charged towards Devalan. His speed sent earth whirling up into the air.

Devalan eyes widened. "Shit!"

Devalan didn't had the time to gather chakra for his teleportation. Instead he gathered chakra into his hands. He saw Kakashi jump, and… SLLAMMM!

Devalan barely managed to block Kakashi's incoming right fist, while Kakashi was still airborne. The impact of Kakashi's chakra enhanced blow against Devalan's chakra enhanced palm caused a shockwave, causing some the trees to split.

Devalan panted. "That was close. Too close. But now I got y…" WHHAAAM!!

Just as Devalan had raised his scythe to cut Kakashi into pieces, Kakashi somehow managed to twist himself in the air, giving him a clear kick with his right foot to Devalan's left side of the head.

Devalan flew spinning through the air towards the far end of the clearing, away from Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji, and 50 meters into the forest, through the trees on his way.

Kakashi landed. He panted, took a look in the direction he had kicked Devalan. Then he snorted. "Tsk. I can't control it completely yet. Ouch!"

He fell down on his right knee.

---

Sakura gasped. She had seen how Kakashi managed to twist himself. He had intentionally put his right shoulder out of joint.

Sakura furrowed her brow. It wasn't like Kakashi to be that reckless. Besides: She would have thought that Devalan would have heard the sound since he was so close to Kakashi. She looked thoughtfully at Shikamaru and was surprised to see him smile.

Sakura furrowed her brow even more. "Why are you smiling?"

Shikamaru continued to smile. "I know what you are thinking. Kakashi-sensei being reckless like that? And you are thinking why the ugly-looking person didn't notice the noise before the kick hit him? The answer is simple. The thunder covered up for it. Just like when Kakashi-sensei took down that bothersome girl over there. And Kakashi-sensei waited to twist until his opponent started talking. That gave Kakashi-sensei more cover. Heh. I guess he is not called a genius for nothing."

Sakura merely nodded. Then she ran into the clearing, towards Kakashi so that she could get his shoulder right again.

"Sakura, stay back! This fight isn't over yet!"

Kakashi's voice rang through the clearing, loud and clear, making Sakura freeze in her trail. She slowly turned her head in the direction Devalan had been kicked. She paled.

Devalan was standing in the edge of the clearing, staring at Kakashi. His skin was torn where Kakashi's kick had hit him and his face was covered in blood. His cloak was also torn several places. He breathed hard. "You know what? That hurt, you silver-haired bastard! Are you and those annoying brats prepared to die?!"

Kakashi got back to his feet in matter of seconds, and with a terrible 'ccrrakk' and a moan, Kakashi put his shoulder back into place.

He glanced over his shoulder, trying to catch his breath "Sakura, get back. Now. Get away from here. I have a feeling that the landscape around here is about to change."

As he spoke, he charged his Raikiri. Sakura shook her head frantically. "No, Kakashi-sensei! I'm not going anywhere! I want to help! Let me treat you. I can…"

Sakura trailed off. Something wasn't right. It was getting darker. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper and filled with surprise. "Why is it getting darker?"

Kakashi tensed. "If you want an answer, then take a look at the enemy."

Sakura turned towards Devalan. All of the fire was starting to gather in a sphere in his left hand. It was very similar to Rasengan, except that it was made of fire. Sakura guessed that the form was maintained by Devalan's chakra and he was channelling chakra into the flames as well. She doubted that Kakashi's Raikiri would be able to withstand such an attack.

She looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, your Raikiri can't withstand such powerful a jutsu. You better…"

"Sakura, get away from there! If you're caught in the blast, you are dead!"

Neji's voice reached Sakura loud and clear. She swiftly turned around. She saw that Devalan would soon be finished gathering the flames.

She faced Kakashi once again. "Kakashi-sensei, I beg you! Don't do this! If you do this… what the..?!"

She was being lifted from the ground by Shikamaru's shadow and then thrown towards him, before the last shadows faded away in the darkness. Shikamaru caught her in his arms.

She got back to her feet and was about to run into the clearing once again, when Shikamaru firmly grabbed her arms. He had much more strength in those arms than she thought. He sighed. "Sakura, listen to me. Kakashi knows what he is doing. Besides."

Shikamaru glanced at Neji, who despite his exhausted state, had activated his Byakugan. Neji nodded. "Their chakra levels gathered for their attacks are equal. And the levels are enormous. If… Shit, we got to get out of here! This one is going to bad! MOVE!"

Shikamaru and Sakura looked at Kakashi and Devalan. Their eyes widened in shock as they saw the two fighters move. The power of their jutsus and their speed made the earth fly into the air and left a trail of fire and destruction in their wake.

Shikamaru and Sakura grabbed Neji by the arms and jumped for their dear lives.

Kakashi noticed and understood Devalan's jutsu in matter of seconds, thanks to his Sharingan. But then he noticed something else. Devalan was about to teleport again, and it wasn't hard to guess where to. As Kakashi reached the middle of the clearing, he spun around on his heels, just as Devalan appeared in a glimpse of fire with a bloodthirsty smile on his face.

"Hellball!"

"Raikiri!"

The jutsus connected with each other, the cores of against each other. For the two fighters it seemed like forever, but it was only a fraction of a second. But it was enough for Devalan to notice.

!!!!!!!

The noise and light were overwhelming. A gigantic red and white-blue dome of pure energy erupted with explosive force, destroying everything in its way as it expanded. Bursts of flames and lightning bolts flew in every direction from the dome, cutting and putting the trees aflame. But the trees were soon swallowed by the dome and blown away by the shockwave.

---

"Arg man! This is so troublesome! Just how are we… Holy shit! Get down!"

A bolt of lightning flew right over their heads. Shikamaru cursed. "What an insane outcome of two jutsus hitting each other! Just how are we supposed to predict those bolts and flames directions?! What a drag."

Neji panted as Sakura helped him to his feet. "Their concentration of chakra was enormous. But even I' surprised. I have never seen an outcome like this."

Sakura panted too. She looked in the direction of the battlefield and paled. "Guys, I think we have a bigger problem. The source of those bolts and flames are coming this way! And it's coming fast!"

The two boys shouted as one. "Shit!"

Shikamaru and Sakura leaped with Neji between them. Sakura screamed as the energy gained on them. "We aren't going to make it!"

As they were about to be swallowed by the dome, it disappeared. They hit the ground hard, and tumbled. They all panted and looked in the direction of the battlefield. Their eyes went wide and they paled.

They had moved about 150 metres away from the battlefield. All that was left of the trees were smoke, dust and scorched earth. They looked over their shoulders. Several trees were aflame, splintered or simply knocked down.

Shikamaru looked completely lost of words. Then they came to him. "Holy shit! This is unbelievable! IF we had been any closer…"

Neji nodded. "Yes, we would be dead. I have never seen or heard of so much destruction just by hammering two jutsus against each other."

Sakura couldn't believe it. The jutsus combined power had created this much destruction? It was close to be equal to when Naruto fought Orochimaru and went into his four-tail state.

She paled and whispered. "Kakashi-sensei."

And with that she sped off, through the smoke, in the direction of the two combatants.

The lightning started to decrease in intensity and it began to rain.

---

The raindrops fell like bombs.

Devalan panted as he stared at Kakashi. Kakashi hadn't been joking. He was stronger than Itachi. Even Itachi's Amaterasu couldn't counter his Hellball that easily.

Devalan searched for Blackrose's chakra for a moment. Then he found it. She was still alive, but barely. He narrowed his eyes at Kakashi, who dropped to his knees and lowered his head. It seemed that Kakashi had reached his limit.

Devalan smirked and stretched out his right hand. The scythe flew towards him and he caught it.

He took a closer look at Kakashi and himself. Kakashi had severe burns and several bleeding wounds. But his mask was still intact. When Devalan looked down himself, he saw that his cloak was gone down to his waist, and that he too had burns and bleeding wounds. But he wasn't in such a bad condition as Kakashi.

Devalan slowly approached Kakashi, readying his scythe and trying to catch his breath. He smiled. "I admit it…You are… stronger… than Itachi. But… I will take… that white ring… on your right ring finger. As you might know… That ring belongs to… Akatsuki. That ring has… been missing… giving us some trouble… for a while now. Not that I care about Tobi or are sorry about his death. But: How did you kill him?"

Kakashi panted as he too tried to catch his breath. Then he slowly met Devalan's gaze, as Devalan reached to the point where he more or less stood right in front of Kakashi.

Then Kakashi smiled. "Well, he wasn't easy. But I finished him with a Fire Element jutsu and cut off his head. I just forgot that I already have killed one Akatsuki. So with you… I have taken down three members of Akatsuki."

Devalan laughed and prepared his scythe for the final blow. "Oh, so have taken down three members when you finish me? Well, hate to tell you, but it will only be one member. You see, Deidara is still alive and I doubt that you… Wha… SHIT!"

Devalan jumped backwards and lashed out at Kakashi. The blade made contact, but Kakashi had moved his head to the left in the last second. But the scythe gave him a large and deep wound all the way down from head to waist. Kakashi let out a scream of pain, but he focused his gaze at Devalan with his Mangekyou Sharingan, just as the latter started to use his teleportation.

Devalan teleported, but he didn't appear where he had decided. Something wasn't right. As he tried again, he screamed out of pain. Something was preventing him from using it properly. The reason was soon to be found as he eyed Kakashi and saw his Mangekyou Sharingan. But he still couldn't remember where he had met the phenomenon of eyes changing form like that before. As he tried another teleportation, he noticed that Kakashi somehow was able to follow his movements. He was furious, but the pain grew more intense. When he looked where the pain was worst he saw what caused it. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

---

Sakura muffled a scream as she saw Devalan's blow hit Kakashi. But just as she was about to run into the clearing, or crater which it is now, firm hands grabbed her from behind.

Shikamaru sighed, but he didn't loosen his grip. "Would you please stop doing that? Running off like that? It's becoming quite troublesome to keep you back all the time, you know?"

Small tears started to gather in Sakura's eyes and run down her cheeks, mingling with the water from the rain. "Shikamaru, please, let me go! Kakashi-sensei needs help! Why won't you just let me go?!"

Neji's voice sounded exceptionally tired, but it was still clear. "Sakura, look again. To me it seems that his opponent is in more trouble than Kakashi-san."

Sakura looked back at Kakashi and Devalan. Her eyes widened in surprise. Something that looked like a trail of fire could be seen in the air. And she soon found the source of the trail. Devalan was teleporting, but it was only for a metre or two every time. But what really surprised was that Devalan couldn't get within a radius of 10 metres of Kakashi. Not only that. Kakashi's jutsu prevented Devalan from attacking with ninjutsu. Furthermore, it looked like Kakashi's jutsu was dragging the flames that Devalan would have used for teleportation backwards, causing them to burn Devalan in the process. Kakashi was simply turning Devalan's jutsu against him!

One word escaped Sakura's lips. "W-W- WOW."

Shikamaru was as surprised as Sakura. "Unbelievable."

Neji merely nodded twice, and his respect for Kakashi increased. He wished he could have had him as sensei instead of Gai. He activated his Byakugan once again, just as the fire dispersed and Kakashi stopped using his Mangekyou Sharingan.

Devalan panted hard and clutched his right upper arm. He stared at Kakashi as Kakashi fell forwards to the ground.

Devalan tried to lift his scythe above his head for the final blow, but that was impossible. Both with his right arm, but also with his left. With great pain and effort he put it on his back, and was about to move towards Kakashi, when he noticed the three young ninjas standing where the edge of the clearing used to be.

He cursed with a low voice, but mostly for himself. "Damn brats! I'm almost out of chakra. I would like to finish off that silver-haired bastard, but those brats would probably interfere. Besides; Blackrose is in a bad condition and I can't be in one that is much better. She needs medical attendance, and perhaps I do too. I better get out of here. Hopefully, that bastard will die. Otherwise we may be in more trouble than we bargain for. And now we know who killed Tobi and took his ring."

He ran to the left and picked up Blackrose from a hole in the earth. With almost unbearable pain, he put her over his left shoulder. She was still alive, but barely. He would have to move quick, or else she would die. And The Leader was most likely to be very pissed if that happened.

He stared at the three younger ninjas, whom had started to run towards Kakashi, apparently afraid that Devalan would attack him again. He growled. "You were rescued this time, brats. But next time you won't be so lucky. And trust me: I will be back. Till then, prepare yourselves to die."

And with that he took off.

Sakura wanted to pursue Devalan, but right now Kakashi was her top priority. She reached him and kneeled down beside him.

He was covered in blood and the burns were severe. And that was just his back. She turned him around and gasped, just as Neji and Shikamaru reached her. Both of them let out gasps as well.

Kakashi was a mess. Of course he was covered in blood from the wounds when his and Devalan's jutsu collided. But the blood and burns wasn't the worst. The deep wound was worse, as blood continued to pour out of it. But it was more severe than she thought. When she started to heal him, Shikamaru spoke with a low voice.

"Sakura… his… face."

Sakura looked at Kakashi's face. Then she let out a scream of shock, horror and despair. Kakashi's right eye had been damaged beyond repair. To be more precise, there was no eye. It seemed it had been burned or cut out.

Sakura stared in horror at Kakashi. Kakashi had saved them again, but the cost was too great. But then she snapped out of it. When she spoke, her voice was clear. "Neji, scout for Kakashi-sensei's tent. We have to get him to a dry place and it can't be far away. Shikamaru; you stay here. I need you to keep the water, mud and blood in the orbit at a minimum. I will heal the worst now. When Neji gets back, we will move him. But I'm afraid our supplies of food etc. were destroyed alongside our tents."

Neji took off in search as Sakura commanded, while Shikamaru sat down beside her, using a handkerchief to wipe away the blood and mud; but he couldn't do much about the water from the rain. Then he smiled. "Hm. Actually Sakura, our supplies weren't destroyed. Not all of them anyway. Neji hid your medicinal stuff and our sleeping bags in a hollow tree. And it was a good way away from here. He had a feeling that we might would run into trouble."

And he was quite right. Neji soon returned with their sleeping bags and Sakura's medicinal equipment. He was tired, but happy. "I found it, Sakura. I found Kakashi-san's tent. It is 300 metres from here. And none of things here have taken any damage. But it was close though."

Sakura jumped up in joy, ran over to Neji and took her medical bag. "Thanks goodness. I will give Kakashi-sensei some first aid and then we will move him to his tent."

Shikamaru paled. "Sakura, get over here! Kakashi-sensei's pulse is dropping! And it's dropping fast!"

Sakura was by Kakashi's side in the blink of an eye and started her treatment. Kakashi's pulse stopped.

Sakura's eyes widened in sorrow, fear and despair. "No! No! NO! Kakashi-sensei, don't die! What shall we do if you die?! We aren't strong enough to fight these guys. How… You promised… that you would… get Naruto back… You…"

Shikamaru gently placed a hand on Sakura's left shoulder, not knowing what to say. He looked at Neji, and frowned when he saw Neji furrowed his brow and activated his Byakugan. "What's the matter with you, Neji? Don't you think your Byakugan is unnecessary to see that he is…"

Neji paled. "Shikamaru, Sakura; get away from there, NOW!"

"What are you talking about? There is noth…"

Shikamaru's eyes widened when he felt it. He grabbed Sakura around the waist and pulled her away when he jumped.

A white dome of chakra, about 3 metres in diameter, engulfed Kakashi, wiping away the blood and mud and created a small crater around him. When it disappeared, only the rain covered him. Then… Kakashi raised his left hand, but it dropped instantly to the ground.

Sakura couldn't believe what she saw. She was sure that Kakashi's pulse just stopped. And now… he moved his hand? Nonetheless, she started her treatment right away, not wanting to lose him again. She stopped the blood pouring from the deep wound and where his eye used to be. The small wounds were closed to, but they didn't need treatment right away. Nor did the burns.

Kakashi chuckled a bit. "You know what? It is astonishing what people can survive."

Sakura wiped a tear away, but smiled through the silent falling rain. "Heh. Guess you are right. But please, Kakashi-sensei, rest. The battle is over. They retreated. You saved us. Let us be the heroes now."

Kakashi looked from Sakura to the two boys. Shikamaru was happy too, a wide smile on his lips. Neji just looked back with a small smile, but also with a slightly worried expression. Kakashi nodded. "I'm glad that you are okay. Hehe. I think… I will do as you say."

With that he passed out. When Sakura was finished with the first aid, they sped off in the direction of Kakashi's tent, Kakashi being carried by Shikamaru and Neji. They reached his tent after 500 metres and were quite surprised. Kakashi's tent was large. All four of them could sleep in there.

They dried Kakashi with a blanket Sakura had put in her sleeping bag. Then she cleaned and healed his wounds a bit more, put some ointment on his burns before wrapping bandage around his torso and where his right eye used to be. Sakura was actually glad that he was unconscious. Otherwise he would have protested and most likely complained about the stinking green ointment. Plus, he didn't sense the pain the ointment normally caused.

Then they put him, gently, down into the sleeping bag. So far, none of them had noticed the white ring on his right hand.

Afterwards they argued who should have the first watch. Sakura was out of question, since she would have to take care of Kakashi, just in case something happened. Neji wanted to take the first watch, but Sakura said that she would beat him senseless if he didn't got some sleep. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't complain either.

So the choice fell on Shikamaru, who just sighed and accepted their choice.

___

She was walking down the corridor. She couldn't fall asleep again. The rain had woke her up, with its heavy pounding on the windows. Now the rain fell silently, but that wasn't the reason why she couldn't sleep. She had felt someone's presence on the hospital. She had felt it since Tenten left. And it wasn't a presence she had felt the other days she had been here.

Sounds from behind made her turn around. Hinata didn't have the time to defend herself, and her chest was pierced by a short blade. But before a scream escaped her lips, a hand muffled it by covering her mouth and her right arm was twisted painfully backwards by another hand. One… two… three… six times she was stabbed by the short blades, not counting the first one. Two times from the front, two times from behind and one in each side. When she was released from the grasp, she fell to the ground, not having the power to shout out. As she hit the cold hospital floor, she saw four cloaked men run down the corridor before jumping out of a window.

As she felt life leave her body, and before everything blackened for her eyes, a low whisper escaped her lips. "Naruto-kun… I… love… you... forgive… me."

With that, everything went black and she didn't move.

End chapter 6.


	8. Chapter 8: Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Target 

The Leader was furious. "Where are they? They should have been here by noon. It is evening now. They are 6 hours late!"

Kisame chuckled a bit. "Well, knowing Devalan and Blackrose, they most likely found someone to play with. You know their blood thirst. That or they got lost."

The Leader scowled at Kisame. "Then tell me: Why can't I make contact with them by sending chakra through the rings?"

Kisame noticed the tone and fell quiet. Itachi spoke. "Whatever the case, we should look for them. Not that I think they are in trouble, but I'm sure Devalan would like to find out who he fought."

Shredkill glared at Itachi. "Why waste any time waiting? Hurry up and cancel the genjutsu already, Uchiha!"

Itachi slowly faced Shredkill, his voice filled with barely contained anger and contempt. "I could cancel the genjutsu, Shredkill. But imagine Devalan's reaction when he finds out we killed his prey. Knowing Devalan, he would like to kill the one who fooled him himself. Ah, Zetsu. Glad you're here. Any sign of Devalan and Blackrose?"

Zetsu shook his head as he entered. His dark side growled. "None. I'm certain they took off after I left. And I can't imagine them being hold up by a little storm."

His white side continued. "Then again: Last night, a fierce battle broke out. I felt it after delivering the targets. I would have liked to take a closer look, for the combatants seemed quite powerful."

The Leaded furrowed his brow. "Powerful? How powerful?"

Murdgaki snickered. "Probably nothing to worry about. All of us are S-class. Right, Deidara-senpai?"

Before Deidara could answer, a growl sounded from the cave entrance. "Shut up, you little brat. Or face the consequences."

They all turned towards the entrance. Itachi furrowed his brow. Devalan was in a bad condition. He had several burns and wounds. But that wasn't the worst. The flesh, tissue and muscles on his right upper arm and right part of his face had been burned and ripped away, giving them all a clear view of his bones and skull.

Murdgaki paled and ran towards Devalan. He released Blackrose from Devalan's grip, and kneeled down, her head in his lap. When he spoke, his voice was full with anger and murderous intent. "Who did this? Who did this to my sister?"

Devalan just glared at Murdgaki, before turning towards The Leader. "I apologize for the delay, my Lord."

The Leader merely nodded. "Apology accepted. Now, tell us: What happened?"

Small flames started to flicker around Devalan's right upper arm. His voice was barely a whisper, but it was still clear to everyone. "We ran into some trouble. Leaf sninobi."

The Leader turned towards Itachi. "Itachi, you will tell us about the names or guess them by Devalan's descriptions. Is that clear?" Itachi merely nodded, and The Leader continued. "Go ahead, Devalan"

Devalan nodded. "First we fought three people. We thought they were ANBU members because they wore cloaks and masks. But they turned out to be kids. Young chuunins I guess. One of them was a boy with completely white eyes, veins popping up around his eyes. He was able to partly block my chakra points. Does that ring any bell, Uchiha?"

Itachi nodded. "Indeed. Only one clan match that description: The Hyuuga clan. They are another noble clan from the Hidden Leaf Village A powerful clan, about as famous as the Uchiha clan. They possess the Byakugan, a powerful eye-jutsu. The Byakugan allows them to see an opponent's chakra system. A dangerous opponent in hand-to-hand combat. The others?"

Devalan continued, tissue slowly being regenerated on his arms by the flames. "The second one was a boy with spiky hair. The only thing I know about his powers is that he can manipulate his shadow."

Itachi nodded. "One from the Nara clan. Especially two of them are excellent strategists. Going by your description, I guess it was a boy called Shikamaru. And a boy from the Hyuuga clan? My guess would be that it was Neji Hyuuga. The prodigy of the Hyuuga branch family."

Devalan merely scowled at Itachi. "Don't know. And frankly, I don't care. I dealt with the white-eyed boy. Blackrose fought a pink-haired girl who could control her chakra enough to get Blackrose excited."

Itachi merely nodded again. "Sakura Haruno. Not one to underestimate. She and the old counsellor from the Sand Chiyo fought and defeated Sasori."

Deidara smirked. "Oh, the pink-haired girl? Well, she isn't one to underestimate that's true. But Devalan; you hopefully aren't telling me that three brats beat you up like that?"

Devalan scowled at Deidara, his voice filled with fury and with a contorted face due to the pain caused by the tissue regenerating in his face. "Of course not! I was about to finish off the boy with the spiky hair and Blackrose was about to kill the girl when someone came to their aid. One that was in a whole other league. A man with white or grey hair."

Itachi frowned. "White or grey hair? Old or young? Other characteristics?"

Devalan looked at Itachi. "Hm. I guess he was young. His hair was a bit spiky. And he had an eye like… Like yours, Itachi."

Itachi closed his eyes. "The man you are describing are none other than The Copy-ninja of the Hidden Leaf, Kakashi Hatake."

Kisame laughed. "The Copy-ninja? Hah! Well, I'm not surprised though. He and the Jinchuuriki we just captured are close. It was only a matter of time before The Copy-ninja would set out to try and get him back. But Devalan; I think you must have grown weak or something. He isn't that strong."

Devalan's muscles and flesh started to regenerate. His voice was barely a whisper. "Oh, really? That's funny, because I attacked him with almost everything I got. And he still fended it off! He even countered my Hellball! Even those black flames that Itachi can create had a hard time dealing with that jutsu. In other words: This guy, Kakashi Hatake, is just as strong as Itachi. Perhaps stronger."

Itachi frowned at this, while Kisame laughed even harder. "Kakashi Hatake? Stronger than Itachi Uchiha? Hah! That was a good one Devalan, really good!"

Devalan shrugged. "I don't care what you think about me, Kisame. But I doubt that you would last for long against him. And while I remember it: We don't have to search for Tobi's ring anymore. That guy, Kakashi, has it."

The Leader suddenly got interested in their quarrel and taunting. "What? What did you say, Devalan?"

Devalan turned his head in the direction of The Leader. "I said that Hatake has Tobi's ring. And before you ask me how I can be so certain, then let me answer in advance: I saw the ring. Furthermore, Hatake admitted that it was him who killed Tobi. He told me how he finished Tobi. It match how Zetsu described it."

The Leader nodded. "Very well. It seems that this Kakashi Hatake is a dangerous opponent who could prove to be trouble if he stays alive. We will have to eliminate him somehow and get the ring back. Murdgaki; you take Blackrose to a healer and have her fixed up. When you are done, both of you get to the castle. Be careful you don't cross paths with Hatake. Itachi, Kisame and Deidara: Since you have fought this Kakashi Hatake before, we will send you to kill him and retrieve the ring. Shredkill: You will accompany Devalan as an escort to a healer. Whether you go to the castle is up to you. That goes for you too; Itachi, Kisame and Deidara. And make sure you kill Kakashi Hatake."

"Don't you dare touch Kakashi-sensei, you bastards! Or I will kill you all!"

They all turned around to see what had caused the noise from the corner of the cave. What they saw was Naruto, who was trying to get on his feet.

The Leader smiled. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. We still have to expose the false Jinchuuriki. Kisame, fetch the one that Devalan brought."

Kisame smirked. "Gladly."

Kisame walked into a smaller cave on the left. He returned two minutes later, dragging a Naruto with him by twisting Naruto's left arm backwards. But this Naruto had no broken shin. Kisame pushed Naruto down beside the other Naruto, readying his sword in case any of them should get any funny ideas. Then he turned his head. "Itachi-san, we are ready."

Itachi nodded and stepped forward. He made the required hand seals. "Release!"

The Naruto that Kisame had just brought turned into another person. Naruto blinked at the person. It was the same person who had helped him escape Orochimaru. And he was still wearing his mask and cloak. He stood up.

Kisame moved in between the stranger and Naruto, and knocked down the stranger, before he could even perform a hand seal. Then Kisame removed his mask and hood. When Kisame looked down at the prisoner, he started to laugh. "My my. Look who we got here. Does this face ring any bells, Itachi-san?"

When Kisame stepped aside, Naruto got a clear view of his saviour. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat as he recognized the person next to him. It was… Sasuke.

Naruto couldn't believe what he saw. And he didn't know what to think. Few days ago he wouldn't have cared what happened to Sasuke, especially considering that Sasuke had tortured him without batting an eye. But then he remembered his promise to Sakura and he remembered the last time Itachi and Sasuke had met. It hadn't exactly been what people would call pleasant. He looked at Itachi.

Itachi hadn't moved a muscle when he saw Sasuke. He just looked at him. Then he sighed. "It seems my little brother didn't learn the lesson the last time we met. Back then I told him that I had no interest in him."

Devalan smirked as he slowly drew his scythe with his left hand. "Well then. Then you won't hold any grudge against me if I kill him, will you Itachi? That little brat to your brother played me for a fool. Now he will pay the prize!"

Devalan charged towards Sasuke. He raised his scythe for a deadly blow. Naruto halfway threw himself over Sasuke, trying to shield him from Devalan's blow. Naruto closed his eyes, waiting for the blade to pierce him

KAASHHAAANGG!

Naruto opened his eyes and looked over his shoulders. Devalan's blow had been stopped by… Kisame. Kisame had blocked Devalan's scythe with his sword.

Kisame locked eyes with Devalan. His voice was just about a whisper, but it was filled with anger. "You fool! You almost killed the Jinchuuriki! Let Itachi-san handle the pest to his brother, but you better stay away from the Jinchuuriki! Otherwise I will finish what The Copy-ninja started!"

Devalan was furious. But he was in no condition to fight an opponent like Kisame right now. He glared at the two boys behind Kisame. Then he locked eyes with Kisame once again. He hissed through his teeth. "You win this time around, Kisame." He quickly glanced over Kisame's shoulders "And you two… Next time you won't be that lucky. Believe me… next time Kisame won't be around to save your little necks."

Kisame pushed a little more with his sword and gritted his teeth. "Good. I think we have come to an understanding of each other. Besides: It seems that this Uchiha-kid is precious to the Jinchuuriki. He was the last time we met, and it seems to me that it hasn't changed. The Jinchuuriki has been quite a pain in the neck while he has been here. And he has been in the past too. But I'm certain that he will behave now that we have one of his precious friends. Isn't that right, you little brat of a Jinchuuriki?"

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Kisame, then at Devalan, Deidara, Shredkill, Zetsu, The Leader and at last Itachi. Itachi's face was as unreadable as ever, and his eyes betrayed nothing. Naruto quickly looked at Murdgaki and Blackrose. Murdgaki hadn't reacted to what had happened. He only seemed to care about his sister for the time being. Naruto looked at Itachi and at the man that apparently was their leader. Then he gave a small nod, making sure that everyone in the cave could see it.

The Leader curved his lips into a small smile. "Good. Since that has been settled, I suggest Murdgaki gets Blackrose to a healer. I think Hatake can wait a little longer. What about a drink and meal to celebrate our victory? Kisame; put our two guests in the same cell, I'm certain they want to be alone for a while. Itachi; I will leave it to you to decide what shall happen to your brother. "

They all nodded in agreement. Kisame pulled Sasuke and Naruto to their feet and readied his sword. Unnecessary, since none of the boys even thought about starting a fight. They knew that they would lose. Naruto was being supported by Sasuke as Kisame drove them in the direction he had fetched Sasuke. Naruto looked over his shoulders and saw Murdgaki disappear, carrying Blackrose in his arms.

They came to a halt when they reached an end with two metal doors. Kisame stepped in front of them and opened the one on the right. He stepped aside and gave them an evil smile. "You will stay here for now. There is a toilet and two beds. I will bring you some food and blankets later." He pointed his sword at Sasuke. "Don't even think of using your Sharingan. If you do, I will kill you myself. Also; don't even try to kill the Jinchuuriki. If you do… Well, then I really wouldn't be in your shoes. Besides it would be a rather rude way to thank him for saving your life. Have I made myself clear?"

Sasuke merely nodded. None of those thoughts had even crossed his mind. He just supported Naruto into the cell, and helped him to sit down on the bed as Kisame slammed and locked the door. They could hear him laugh as he walked away.

---

Naruto didn't know what to say. He just looked at Sasuke as the latter lit the candles on the walls. He watched Sasuke sit down on the opposite bed. Then words came to him, even though they were only a whisper. "Why, Sasuke? Why did you help me that night? And why did you get caught?"

Sasuke lowered his head. "I helped you out that night because I wanted to save my own neck. I thought that if they didn't find you there, they would leave. What a fool I was. When I discovered that wouldn't be the case, I guessed the best way to survive was to disguise myself as you. But as you can see, I didn't think that plan through. I should have guessed that they would have some people outside the base too. I was caught by surprise when I hid in a laboratory. It appears Orochimaru has gathered information on our DNA-profiles. For reasons I can only guess on. That was another reason why I needed to get you out of there. He said that he would give you a Curse seal. The chances for survival are one to ten. Naruto, I can completely understand it if you say no, but… I wish to return to the Leaf."

Naruto looked at his one-time rival and friend. It was something like that he had wanted to hear so badly the past 2½ years. But he couldn't forget what Sasuke had done the last time they met. Neither could he just forget that he had felt Sasuke presence when he was abducted. He sighed. "I don't know if I can forgive you, Sasuke. I can't just forget the last time we met. Neither can I forget that I felt your presence the night I was abducted. I guess it was you who made Hinata stab me, right?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Wrong. Kabuto stabbed you. But it is correct that I was present that night. Naruto; I don't expect your full forgiveness, but I hope you will understand. Perhaps not now, but with time."

Naruto narrowed his eyes a bit. "I see. Well, that doesn't make things much better, Sasuke. One: None of us would be in this situation if you hadn't screwed up back then. You remember, don't you? When you left the village. Chouji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee and I risked our lives in order to bring you back. You almost killed me back then. Not long ago, Sai, Sakura-chan, Yamato and I risked our lives; still in order to bring you back. And just how exactly was it that you thanked us for our troubles? You almost killed us!

Two: You left your village, turned against your friends, and for what? For power! Power to kill Itachi! The past 2½ years I have trained to become stronger. But not to get revenge. I have trained to become strong enough to get you back and protect myself against Akatsuki. I was training with Kakashi-sensei so that I could create my own jutsu!

And now you come, more or less, crawling back on your knees, begging me to understand and forgive you?!"

Sasuke raised his head. "I wish I could change the things I have done, but I can't. The reason I tortured you back there, was because Orochimaru told me that I needed to kill my heart in order to become merciless. And he suggested that you would be the perfect subject. And, stupid as I was, agreed. I still wanted power, no matter the cost. But then I realized something. I realized you didn't become as strong as you did for your own personal gain. You became as strong as you did because you wanted to protect those precious to you. That, and I heard rumours saying that Orochimaru no longer needed my body. I guess it has something to do with the DNA-profile. As long as he needed my body, I was safe and could do whatever I wanted. But recently I have thought that maybe there were other ways to become stronger. Believe me; I will do anything, anything, if it means that I can return to the village. What do you think? Do you think they would accept me?"

Naruto's expression softened a bit, but he still held a hard edge in his voice. "Even if I forgive you, I'm not sure the rest will. And you are forgetting that it isn't up to me to decide whether you can return to the village or not. But tell me one thing: Which one of the assholes out there caught you? I was caught by Itachi and the oversized fish."

Sasuke smiled a bit. He was happy that Naruto perhaps would forgive his mistakes. "I was caught by the one who tried to kill me with his scythe and the girl. Speaking of those two, do you know what happened to them?"

Naruto got a worried look on his face. "I'm not sure. As far as I could understand, they encountered Sakura-chan, Neji, Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei during the night. The one with the scythe said that he fought Shikamaru and Neji and, I think she is called Blackrose, fought Sakura-chan. But then it seems Kakashi-sensei appeared. And going from the looks of it, he was in a really bad mood."

Sasuke nodded. "One more question: After all what I have done, after all my mistakes, why did you try to save me back there?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Frankly, I don't know. My body just reacted. I think it was like when we fought Haku. You protected me. And I believe you gave me a similar answer back then."

Sasuke nodded as his smile grew a little wider. Then he noticed Naruto's shin. He frowned. "What happened to your leg?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, your brother broke my shin. Apparently he didn't thought I should miss their hospitality. But then again: Orochimaru would have killed me after he was done testing me, and Akatsuki will kill me when they pull out the Nine-Tails. So it doesn't really make that much of a difference. Hehe. What can I say? I'm a much desired boy, believe it!"

Sasuke laughed. He couldn't help it. Then he kneeled down and placed his right hand on Naruto's shin. A green chakra started to radiate from his hand.

Naruto was confused. "Huh? What are you doing?"

Sasuke shook his head. "It's no good. Kabuto was ordered to teach me medical-ninjutsu, but I never really got the knack of it. Sorry Naruto, but the best I can do is reducing the pain a little. We just have to hope that Kakashi and the others arrive in time to get you the hell out of here. As far as I could understand, Sakura is a medical-ninja now. She should be able to mend it."

Naruto nodded and smiled down to Sasuke. "Thanks."

Sasuke smiled back. "No problem."

Sasuke was happier than he had been in a long time. Even though they most likely wouldn't survive this, he was happy. Even if it was only for a little while, and even if they weren't the best friends right now, they were still together. And truth to be told: He had missed Naruto. He had missed everything from his goofy laughter to their quarrels and rivalry. In other words: He had missed his friend.

---

Itachi sat on the floor, and had been listening to the two teenagers' conversation through the metal door for some time. He had finished the meal faster than the others. It was disturbing news that Orochimaru had gathered information on Sasuke's DNA-profile. And Itachi had a guess on why Orochimaru had gathered information about Sasuke's DNA. He still wanted the Sharingan. Now things made sense. More or less anyway. That explained why Orochimaru had said that he didn't needed Sasuke anymore. But it still didn't explain how Orochimaru planned on obtaining the Sharingan. Nor did it explain the complete purpose of the seal that was put on Naruto's forehead. Itachi furrowed his brow. Knowing Orochimaru, there would most likely be some kind of booby trap to it. He sighed silently. He would have to question Sasuke about it. Footsteps from behind pulled him out of his chain of thoughts and he stood up and turned around. It was Kisame.

Kisame was carrying some food and some blankets. He didn't seem surprised to find Itachi here. He smiled. "I should have known you would be here, Itachi-san. Checking up on the prisoners? Do they behave nicely, or do you want me to teach them a lesson?"

Itachi shook his head. "Not necessary to teach them a lesson, Kisame. They behave like they should. Besides: I still need to interrogate my brother about that seal on the Jinchuuriki's forehead. And I prefer doing it myself, without focusing on missing limbs. And I would also prefer that he is able to speak when I interrogate him. Knowing Orochimaru, there is most likely some sort of trap connected to it. We will have to be careful with it until we know more about it."

Kisame was disappointed. He hoped he could have a little fun with the captives. Nonetheless, he just smiled, opened the door to the cell and gave them their food and blankets. After locking the door, he turned towards Itachi. "We are ready to go, Itachi-san. It's time to teach The Copy-ninja a lesson."

Itachi nodded and they walked away. When they reached the main-cave, Itachi directed his words to The Leader. "The prisoners mustn't be harmed. The Jinchuuriki is still too weak to withstand a small injury. And I prefer my brother to be in one piece when I interrogate him."

The Leader shrugged. "As you wish, Itachi. Just make sure Hatake doesn't survive. He is too dangerous to be left alive. And make sure you get the ring back."

Itachi nodded. "Let's go."

As Itachi, Kisame and Deidara took off, The Leader frowned a bit. He suspected Itachi for carrying about his brother. If he did, this was most likely going to be a pain in the neck without precedent.

---

Itachi jumped from branch to branch, Kisame being right behind him and Deidara right above them on one of his clay birds. Itachi frowned. He wanted to face Kakashi alone. But that meant he somehow would have to get rid of Kisame and Deidara. Killing them wasn't an option. The Leader would just suspect Itachi for it and Itachi would be killed himself. He thought for a moment. Then a small smile appeared on his lips. He knew how to get rid of them. Although he probably was going to regret it later. Besides; the idea of facing Kakashi one-on-one wasn't exactly appealing to him. Considering what happened to Devalan, Kakashi wasn't likely to go easy on him. And Kakashi wouldn't hold back if he heard what Itachi had done to Naruto. So many things could go wrong. Itachi had to be careful. Itachi sighed. It was a dangerous game he was playing. Very dangerous.

___

Dark clouds hang over the Hidden Leaf Village. They were all sitting in the corridor where the surgery took place, waiting to hear news. They all hold their breath. Tenten cried into Lee's shoulder, and he held her in what he hoped was a comforting embrace. Lee, Ino and Chouji had stopped hiding when the news reached their ears. Now all knew that it was Neji, Sakura and Shikamaru who had left the village to join Kakashi. Aside from Lee and Tenten, Ino and Chouji, Kiba and Shino, others were gathered. All of their jounin-senseis, Jiraiya, Hiashi and Hanabi and some other Hyuugas were there too. The door opened, and Tsunade stepped out accompanied by Shizune and some other medics. Tsunade sat down, and buried her head in her hands.

Shizune spoke and she sounded like she was on the edge of collapsing of exhaustion. "Sai will survive. It was a close call, but he will be fine. He just needs rest. We will post more ANBU guards to protect him for the weeks to come."

Hiashi and Kiba jumped to their feet. Both shouted as one. "What about Hinata?! She will be fine too, right?!"

Shizune shook her head. "I'm afraid she won't."

Kurenai paled. "But she… is still… alive… right?"

Shizune didn't answer. A male medic helped Shizune to sit down on a chair, before he answered. "Kurenai-san… Lord Hyuuga… All of you... I'm afraid there is nothing more we can do… Hinata Hyuuga has passed away."

Kiba didn't believe his ears. "What?"

The medic sighed. "Miss Hinata Hyuuga is dead. The damages were too severe. Her heart, lungs and kidneys; all of them had been hit. Lady Hokage tried all the methods she knows, but in the end it was no use. She was brought in 4 a.m. and now the clock is 6 p.m. We have been able to repair the organs during and after the surgery, but we couldn't save her. It appears that the weapons that were used had poison on them. An unknown poison, to be more precise."

None of them could believe what they just had heard. Hinata Hyuuga… the heiress to the Hyuuga clan… their friend… dead?

Kurenai broke down. Hinata had been the student dearest to her. Asuma was by her side, trying to comfort her. Kiba and Shino was in shock. They had lost her again. They embraced each other, trying to comfort each other. Ino and Chouji cried together, but they didn't hug. The Hyuugas gathered around Hiashi, who cried. Hinata hadn't exactly been the daughter he hoped for. Nonetheless: She was the heiress to the Hyuuga main family. And more important: She was his daughter, and he loved her. And now… He had lost her.

Tenten cried her heart out. "This is my fault… I should never have left… If I just had been there… This would never have happened!"

Lee didn't know what to do. "Sshh, Tenten. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything."

Jiraiya sighed. "Lee is right. Even if you had been there, it wouldn't have made any difference. Those guys were professionals. They knew were to strike. If you had been there, you would most likely be dead."

Gai sighed. "Master Jiraiya is right, Tenten. But I promise you this: Whoever did this, they will pay."

Tsunade raised her head. "For once Gai, I agree with you. But there is one big problem: We don't know who did this. The obvious would be Kabuto, but it is not quite his style to inflict damages like that. Going by the wounds, my guess would be that the weapons that were used were similar to the short blade Sai uses. In other words: the culprit must have connections to Root. But why Root targeted Hinata; that I have no idea of."

Kiba pulled himself together, if only a little bit. "Who cares?! Hinata is dead, and you won't do anything?!"

Tsunade just looked at Kiba, tears starting to pool in her eyes. "I will do something Kiba. But for now we have to think. Root targeting Hinata makes no sense. If they targeted Sai it would, considering he knows the location of their base and how to enter. It would also make sense if it was Kabuto targeting Hinata, because she is witness to what happened to Naruto."

Jiraiya frowned. "Tsunade, what you say makes sense. But don't forget: Danzou has already made contact with Orochimaru once. Perhaps he has done it again. Anyway, as long as Sai is out of play, we don't have a chance of finding Danzou or Root for that matter. The two old fools to the counsellors won't allow us to search the village for him. What's your decision, Tsunade? You're the Hokage; our next move is up to you."

Tsunade was silent for 5 minutes. When she spoke, it was with firm voice. "You're right, Jiraiya. The two old fools won't allow us to do search for Danzou. We will take care of Danzou later, I promise you that. But for now we have to get Naruto back. Gai, Asuma and, if you want to, Kurenai; you will take the remaining members of your teams and regroup with Kakashi and the others. Jiraiya; you and I will team up with Aoba, Genma, Raido and Ibiki. It's time to put an end to Orochimaru once and for all. And Akatsuki, if they should cross our paths."

They all nodded in agreement. Except Kurenai. Her voice was barely a whisper, and her sobbing made it difficult to hear anything. "I'm sorry… Lady Hokage. But I want… I want to… be there… when she… when Hinata is… buried."

Tsunade nodded. That was to be expected. She sighed. "Let's go. Lord Hyuuga; I know it is much to ask, but do you think you can postpone Hinata's funeral? I wish to be present too, but his matter has to be solved right away."

Hiashi nodded. "Yes, Lady Hokage. I can postpone it. In fact; it is tradition in our clan that when an heir or heiress or the head to the main household dies, the deceased is put in a wooden coffin, without the cover being put on, in our special chapel for two weeks. This is done in order to prepare the deceased for the afterlife; it also gives the ones left behind the opportunity to say their last farewells in private. Friends and family alike."

Tsunade nodded again. "I see. We will be back before then. Let's move. I will meet you all by the main gate in twenty minutes. Anyone who isn't ready then will be left behind. Understood?!"

"YES MA'AM!"

They all took off prepare themselves. None of them wanted to be left behind. It was pay back time.

Tsunade stopped Jiraiya by tugging him in his arm. He turned around. She sighed. "Losing a teacher is bad enough. But to lose a student or one's child must be the worst pain. No one should carry the burden of burying one's child."

Jiraiya sighed. "Indeed. Naruto is like a grandson to me. But now we have lost Hinata. Hiashi has lost his daughter. I can't even imagine his pain. I just hope we aren't too late to save Naruto."

Tsunade nodded sadly. "You're right. Truth to be told, Naruto is like a grandson to me too. This situation really makes you want that someone could bring the dead back, doesn't it?"

Jiraiya paled. "Tsunade! You can't be serious! You hopefully aren't considering making a deal with Orochimaru?! Have you forgotten what happened last time he offered to bring someone precious to you back to life?!"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, I haven't forgotten what happened last time Orochimaru offered a deal. And no; it wasn't Orochimaru I had in mind."

Jiraiya frowned. "Then who are you thinking about?"

Tsunade locked eyes with Jiraiya. "I'm talking about a ninja far more powerful than any of us. A ninja, who's Bloodline Limit makes the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans' abilities look ridiculous in comparison. A ninja who would mop the floor with you when you're in, was it Sage-mode you called it, without breaking a sweat."

Jiraiya paled even more. "I know which clan and ninja you are talking about. And yes; perhaps he is, or rather was, strong enough to make the Sannin look like ordinary Genin or perhaps even Academy-ninjas. But that clan went extinct a long time ago. It was extinct several generations before this village was founded."

Tsunade sighed. "I know that. Forget that I mentioned it. Let's go. I need to see if my old vest still fits me." She started to walk. Then she paused. "Two things: Any comments about my looks in that vest, and you will never write a book again. And never mention what I said about Naruto to anybody. Got it?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Got it."

___

Kakashi woke up with a yawn. He soon realized he was back in his tent and that he was alone. He scratched his forehead. Something felt different. Especially the right sight of his face. It felt like… bandages? Kakashi hadn't time to think about it, as he cringed over with pain. He cursed. "Damn it! Why the hell does my body hurt like this?! And why the hell am I covered in bandages?!"

His shouting drew attention to him from the outside. Sakura hurried in with a worried look. "Kakashi-sensei, are you all right? Where does it hurt?"

Kakashi looked at Sakura. She still wore Blackrose's cloak. "Well, I guess all of my body hurts. But tell me Sakura: Why the heck do you still wear that cloak? Here, take my shirt instead. I just need my vest."

Sakura smiled as she took the vest and walked out to find some place to put it on. Kakashi heard her yell. "Neji; I will tell Tenten if you try to peep at me with the Byakugan. And Shikamaru; I will tell Ino and Temari about it if you try to spy on me while I change!"

Kakashi chuckled. Where had he experienced something like this before? "Oh yeah. I believe Rin told something similar to Obito on one of our first missions. Damn, I miss those two. Well, guess it doesn't do anyone any good if I just lay around sleeping."

He crept out of his sleeping bag and reached for his vest. He mumbled a bit when he looked inside of his rucksack "Hm. Doesn't seem they have rummaged my stuff. Not that they would have found anything of interest." He checked his vest. "Ah, the ring is still in there. Speaking of a ring." He looked down on the white ring on his finger. "Why is that I get a feeling that you are going to cause me more trouble than good is? Well, guess I should hide you for the time being."

He put on his vest and gloves, making sure the glove on his right covered the ring. He walked out of the tent to find Neji and Shikamaru by a campfire, making dinner. He raised his right hand in a salute. "Yo."

Shikamaru and Neji looked up, smiles on their faces. "Hello, Kakashi-sensei. Care to join us for dinner?"

Kakashi smiled behind his masked. "Sounds good. I'm starving. What is on the menu?"

Shikamaru laughed. "Not much, I'm afraid. We didn't dare to rummage your rucksack for two reasons: One; we was afraid to wake you up and get killed because you perhaps got the wrong impression. For example if you suspected us for trying to get you your book or something like that. Two: Sakura said she would kill us if we did. She said you needed to rest. But we got some fish, pike and trout I think, a single pheasant, some eggs and some mushrooms. Hope that's enough?"

Kakashi laughed. "It's plenty, Shikamaru. I think I have some bread in my bag. But to be honest: Right now I would prefer a good cold beer or two and some sake to get rid of that annoying headache. And where did you catch the fish? I think I need to clean my mask. Oh: You haven't had removed my mask at some point, do you?"

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to laugh. "I'm so sorry, Kakashi-sensei. But none of us brought alcohol with us. Besides; I thought alcohol is one of the three taboos for a ninja? And don't worry, we haven't touched your mask. There is a small river about 800 metres south-east from here."

Kakashi sighed. "True; alcohol is one of taboos. But then again: Without money, we couldn't by our equipment. And without women, or men for that matter, new ninjas wouldn't be born. And without a drink from time to time, most sninobi would break down due to stress. Anyway, I think I will clean my mask and then get something to eat."

Kakashi stood up and took off. He found the river without problem. He took of his mask and kneeled down. He got a shock as he saw his reflection in the clear water. Only his Sharingan eye looked back at him. The right side of his face was covered in bandages. Then he remembered last night. The event came in small glimpse. A flash of fire and lightning… Massive destructions… A burning pain… He hadn't had time to worry about it or check what happened. He sighed. "Well, I hope Sakura can fix me up a little better." He put back on his mask and walked back.

When he came back he found them all waiting for him, the food ready to eat. He suppressed a laugh when he saw Sakura in his shirt. It was way too big for her, but at least she would be able to fight in it. He sat down and reached for a pike.

Sakura laughed sadly. "Sorry Kakashi-sensei. But you will have to wait a little longer before you can eat. It's time to change your bandages. So… Off with the vest."

Kakashi groaned. "Ah, come on Sakura. Surely they can wait, right?" When Sakura shook her head, he sighed. "Fine. I guess it can't be helped, huh?" He took off his west.

Sakura gently removed the bandages around his torso. There was a lot of blood where the deep wound was located, but aside from that it wasn't that bad. Sakura gently let her hands move over his skin, emitting green chakra in order to heal the wound little by little. Especially the deep wound. It seemed that the blade that hit him had infused some of Devalan's chakra into the wound, decreasing the rate Sakura could heal it. Then it was the burns turn. Her medical chakra didn't help much, but it was better than nothing. When she was done with the medical-ninjutsu, she put on some of the ointment from before.

Kakashi groaned. "Damn it! Sakura, what in the world is that? It smells worse than when Asuma smoked in my apartment. It took weeks to get rid of the smell. And… Ouch! It… aw… hurts… arg…too!" He jumped to his feet

Sakura sighed and forced Kakashi to sit down. "Kakashi-sensei, sit down! How come all boys and men are like this? Your opponent can beat the living daylight out off you, and you won't say a thing. But when the treatment comes, you whine like girls. I… sit still, damn it… are almost done. There… Now I just have to put new bandages on and then I will take a look on your head."

Kakashi chuckled and growled at the same time as she put fresh bandages around his torso. "If I didn't know better, I would say you are enjoying this, Sakura Haruno. Anyway, how long time will it be before I can remove the bandages from the right side of my head?"

Sakura sighed as she removed the bandages and asked the two boys to look away, because she didn't want to ruin their appetite. "Well, the good news is that it is unnecessary to give your head new bandages on. There is no infection. The bad news is: You will never be able to see with a normal eye. Kakashi-sensei; during your fight, your normal eyes was either cut or burned out. Permanently."

Kakashi swallowed. Then he frowned and cursed. "Damn it! This will complicate things. When I can't cover my Sharingan, I will tire quickly. That means I will have to rest. Resting takes time. Time I don't have. Damn it!" He put on his vest.

Sakura felt the tears starting to pool in her eyes. But she wiped them away. "Kakashi-sensei, please, don't be too harsh on yourself. You wouldn't be in this condition if we just had stayed behind. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive us?"

Kakashi didn't respond. Then he sighed. "Sakura, there is nothing to forgive. I should have known that at least you would pursue me. One of your friends has been taken captive by the worst people possible. I don't know if you heard it, but Naruto has been captured by Akatsuki. It's only natural to react the way you have. While I eat, you boys can tell me why you tagged along. I have a feeling that you just didn't went into this mess because Naruto is your friend. But of course that would be reason enough."

Neji didn't answer at first. Not because he suddenly got a clear view of Kakashi's still bloody orbit where his normal eye used to. No; he was worried about something else. That sinister chakra. But he decided to let it rest for now. "Sakura and I were the masterminds behind this pursuit. We knew that we couldn't just leave the village. We needed some sort of disguise of some kind. Sai suggested that we could infiltrate Root. We talked Shikamaru into forming a strategy based on the information Sai could provide him with. The number of guards etc. We were supposed to meet by the main gate, but the others didn't make it. It was plan the plan that Kiba and Shino should let themselves get caught. They didn't like the idea, but they did it. If we couldn't make it to the main gate, we were supposed to hide; that would make it difficult to figure out who did what. Sakura and I were the only ones who made it to the main gate. Two people wasn't enough, so we fetched Shikamaru. He and Sai were the only ones we knew where to find. Sai was out of the question; if he went missing, people would soon realize what we had done. So we fetched Shikamaru, who volunteered to assist us. I did it because I believed that if Naruto returned, Lady Hinata would get out of her misery."

Shikamaru snorted. "Volunteered? I think this is what you mean; we blackmailed him." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Shikamaru sighed. "They came to my house. I admit that I want Naruto back. And yes, we are fully aware that Akatsuki has captured him. Anyway, they came to my house. Of course I would have given in, but they both threatened me. Neji said he would beat the crap out of me if I refused. I could live with that. Sakura said something similar to begin with. Then she realized it didn't have any effect on me. Then she told me that she was going to be appointed by the Hokage to be one of the Hokage's assistant. This meant she would, among other things, be assigning missions. She said that she would assign me missions like never before; as soon as I got out of the hospital. It would be too much work and troublesome, so I chose to go with them."

Kakashi looked at Sakura. "You blackmailed him? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I believe Naruto said something like that when he, Sasuke and Sakura tried to see my real face."

(Editors note: Naruto anime episode 101)

Sakura scratched her neck and got her usually goofy look on her face. But that expression soon turned into one of despair. "Kakashi-sensei: We should go back. If Naruto has been captured by Akatsuki, we will need more power. Perhaps you can fight one or perhaps even two Akatsuki members equally, but the rest of us can't. We should go back…"

Kakashi cut her off. "Sakura, I got your point. And yes, you might not be ready for the battles to come. But we can't go back. That will take time. Time Naruto doesn't have. And I will slow you down anyway, as I will need to rest more often than I normally would. I don't know how bad a condition I put my second opponent in last night, but Akatsuki isn't likely to wait for him to recover. We will move as soon as I've got something to eat. Meanwhile, since you are done eating, you can pack the tent. I won't force you to come with me if you don't want to. It's your choice. But I'm going to try and save Naruto."

Sakura sniffed a little. The thought of losing her beloved Naruto was unbearable. But she had made up her mind even before Kakashi had finished talking. "I don't know about the others, but I'm coming with you. As long as there is a chance we can get Naruto back alive, I'm willing to go to whatever awaits me."

Shikamaru and Neji looked at each other. Then they nodded. Shikamaru spoke. "We're coming too. Naruto is our friend. We won't abandon him just because some jerk tells us we are too late. But for now Kakashi-sensei, eat and rest. After that battle, I guess you are exhausted."

Kakashi lowered his mask, shrugged and started to eat. They flushed a little when they saw a glimpse of Kakashi's face, but then they got a hold of themselves and started to pack. When they were done, Kakashi was done eating. He grabbed his rucksack and was ready to go.

Sakura frowned. "Wait Kakashi-sensei. Shikamaru is right. You should be exhausted. In fact you should be bedridden. The last time you used that special Sharingan, back when we fought that blond Akatsuki member who blew himself up, you was in hospital for weeks. You have just used that and other powerful jutsu. And yet you can move like nothing happened. How is that possible?"

Kakashi turned around and smiled. "That, Sakura, is my secret. Let's move."

Kakashi looked at his watch. It was 6 p.m.

---

They had been on the move for seven hours. Kakashi had only needed to rest three times with an interval of 2 hours each time. And their rest only lasted for about 5 minutes. But now, he was exhausted. He sat by the campfire. While the younger ninja set up the rest of the camp, he pulled out three scrolls from his bag, two small and one medium, and some ink and a brush.

He started to write on the medium one. When he was done, he looked at three younger ninjas. "None of my dogs have come by while I was asleep?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, Kakashi-sensei. Why?"

Kakashi sighed. "I sent them out to sniff up Naruto's scent. But back then I didn't know Akatsuki had got their hands on him. Meaning they will only find way to Orochimaru's hideout. And there they would lose track of him."

A deep growl sounded from behind. "Don't worry, Kakashi. We succeeded in tracking down the blond pup's scent. And we are fully aware that Akatsuki has him."

Kakashi turned around. He smiled as he saw his huge bulldog stand there, Pakkun resting on his head. "Bull, I'm glad that you're back. Well done in tracking Naruto. But what happened to Pakkun? And where are the others? They aren't hurt, are they?"

Bull shook his head. "They are all right. In fact, they should be here soon. Oy, Pakkun. Time to wake up. We have finally found him."

Pakkun opened his eyes. When he eyed Kakashi, he got worried look in his eye. "Oy, pup. What happened to you?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I just had a little exchange of opinions with some Akatsuki members. Or to be more correct: One Akatsuki and one subordinate. But don't worry about me. Bull said you are aware that Akatsuki has Naruto. Then why are you here? And who captured him?"

Pakkun sighed. "Itachi and his partner caught him. You have taught Naruto well, Kakashi. He put up a good fight, considering his condition. Itachi's partner hold back, which turned out to be mistake. Naruto got him with, I think it's called Rasengan, even though it wasn't at maximum power. But then Itachi stepped in. Itachi made short work of Naruto. He broke Naruto's left shin and his partner kicked him unconscious. Three others appeared. A man with a dark and white side, a man with horns and a scythe and a girl."

Sakura gasped. If it was who Itachi caught Naruto… That would mean that Kakashi probably soon would have to fight again. She looked at Kakashi. His face was unreadable. He sighed. "Very well, Pakkun. But that doesn't answer why you are here. I thought you would pursue them to their location, then report back."

The pug sighed. "I didn't follow them, because the man with the split personalities went underground. I can't follow him there. And while I remember it: Kakashi, another Naruto was brought to Itachi by the girl and the man with the horns. That one wasn't the right Naruto. But I know I have met that scent somewhere before. Another reason why I didn't pursue them is that they were too close. Had I moved… I would have been detected. And I know where they will take the pup. But that doesn't make it much better"

Kakashi frowned. "Where?"

Pakkun locked eyes with Kakashi. "Kakashi, I think you know the place. The old castle, Satur, near the border to the Earth country."

Kakashi paled. "Satur? Who suggested that?"

Pakkun snorted. "Itachi did."

Kakashi sighed. "I should have known. Well, at least we know where they are headed. Ah, good. Here the others come."

He was quite right. Six dogs appeared and joined. They all looked worried at Kakashi. He motioned for them to come over to him. As they did, he scratched them behind their ears. They all wagged their tails in satisfaction. Then Pakkun noticed the three teenagers. He smiled. "Hello there. Long time no see Sakura, Neji and… Whiner."

Shikamaru grew a sweat drop "Oh man. What a drag. The mud is back. And he doesn't even remember my name."

Pakkun growled. "Who do you call a mud? Do you want to feel my teeth, you little flea?"

Kakashi chuckled. "There, there Pakkun. Be nice. Shikamaru didn't mean it. To be honest with you, I didn't wanted them to be here in the first place. They disobeyed my order. But I'm glad they did. Because if they haven't. I would most likely be dead." Then he grew serious. "Pakkun, Bull and the rest of you; I need you to put your paw prints on this scroll. I have already written your names."

The dogs whimpered. Pakkun frowned. "Kakashi; is that what I think it is?"

Kakashi nodded and started to write on the other scrolls. "It is. And when you are done, I need two of you to bring those scrolls to those two persons. I have added their scent, just in case an impostor should try to get them." He wrote the names down, and showed them to the dogs. Then he added some pieces of clothes to the scrolls and sealed them. He marked them with the importance rank S.

Pakkun let out a small growl. "And if we refuse to sign?"

Kakashi didn't bother to raise his head. His voice was enough. "You will sign. That is my wish as your master and friend."

The dogs sighed and did as they were told.

Sakura chuckled a bit. "Sorry to interrupt. Kakashi-sensei, it is time to change your bandages.

Kakashi groaned. "Not again."

---

Three hours later, Kakashi sat by the campfire. He had insisted that the others got some sleep. Otherwise he would knock them unconscious and leave them behind. Now they slept around the campfire on their sleeping bags. They had insisted that they would stay outside with him, just in case someone attacked. He chuckled, told them that it wasn't necessary. He told them that he had almost restored his chakra by sleeping and meditating a little. But he was glad for their company as two of his smaller dogs had already left and the other dogs now slept soundly. He stared into the flames for half an hour. Then he sighed.

"How unusual. I would have thought that you would have brought some of your friends. Well, we are both busy people. So why don't you stop hiding in the shadows behind my back, and come forth where I can see you so we can get this over with… Itachi?"

End chapter 7.


	9. Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Warriors. Secret Dark Past and Deals. Kakashi and Itachi meet!

"How unusual. I would have thought that you would have brought some of your friends. Well, we are both busy people. So why don't you stop hiding in the shadows behind my back, and come forth where I can see you so we can get this over with… Itachi?"

Itachi stepped out of the shadows and smiled. "I see you're as perceptive as ever, Kakashi-san."

Neji, Shikamaru and Sakura jumped to their feet when they felt the presence of a stranger. Sakura paled with fear as she recognized the newcomer. "Itachi… Uchiha."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Itachi Uchiha? The man who wiped out his clan?"

Neji frowned and activated his Byakugan. "I guess so. Get ready."

Itachi furrowed his brow. As he suspected, it was Sakura Haruno, Neji Hyuuga and Shikamaru Nara he would have to deal with. But it wasn't them he had to worry about. At least not for the time being. He eyed the dogs growling at him. He smiled a bit more. "And I see you still have your furred bodyguards with you. Tell me: What gave me away? Was it yourself who sensed me or was it your dogs who alerted you? Pakkun usually snores when he sleeps. And I noticed that Bull moved his left foreleg across his right. Normally, he would sleep with the right across the left. Unless he felt danger approach."

Kakashi turned around to face Itachi. They locked Sharingan eyes. Then Kakashi snorted. "I can see you haven't forgotten what I taught you when we were in the ANBU. Impressive. And to your question: Both. But tell me Itachi, where is your partner? Akatsuki usually operates in teams consisting of two people. So; where is Kisame? Lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to ambush me and my team? Well, that won't happen."

Itachi's smile widened a bit. "How could I forget what you taught me? Especially considering how often it has saved my neck? But let's get down to business, shall we?"

Sakura tensed. "Don't you dare lay a finger on Kakashi-sensei, you asshole! I swear... if you do... I will kill you!"

Itachi furrowed his brow at Sakura. "Be quiet, little girl. I have no intentions of hurting you or the boys. But I will if you interfere. You are no threat to Akatsuki. But Kakashi-san is."

Neji tensed too. "Maybe you're right, Itachi. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to underestimate us. We fought another Akatsuki last night. And he retreated."

Itachi smiled a sarcastic smile. "Ah, you're speaking about Devalan. No need to put on the tough-guy face, Neji Hyuuga. I know it was Kakashi-san who fought Devalan. And I must say that I'm really impressed how good you beat…"

He was cut off by Sakura who charged towards Itachi, her right fist clenched and ready for attack. "Enough talk! Now you die!"

Itachi smiled. As Sakura punched, he merely stepped to the left, and delivered a kick to Sakura's stomach. She cringed over with pain. But as he raised his left hand to something that looked like a blow to the neck, Neji moved. "8 Trigrams; 64 Palms!"

Itachi's eyes widened as he heard the shout behind him. He barely had time to turn around; but thanks to his Sharingan, he was able to dodge and block all of Neji's strikes. He noticed that the dogs had started to move in a circle around them and Kakashi was charging his Raikiri in his right hand. Itachi cursed. This was getting more dangerous than he thought was fun. He only had one chance. He focused his chakra and… "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Black flames shot towards Kakashi. Kakashi had barely time to respond. But he responded well. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

The black flames were sucked into another dimension. And that dimension turned out to be more or less right behind Itachi. Itachi swiftly turned around, and extinguished the flames coming towards him. When he turned around again, Shikamaru had got Sakura out of harms way. They now kneeled down behind Neji and Kakashi; Sakura was trying to catch her breath.

Itachi smiled. "I can see why Naruto-kun worships you, Kakashi-san. You're just like a father should be. Strong, wise, caring and ready to die for the one dearest to you. And I can see why Naruto-kun adores Sakura. To have a girl that is ready to die for you… But I'm afraid that Naruto-kun doesn't know how lucky he is."

Sakura felt tears pooling her eyes. "Of course I will risk my life for him! He has saved me more than once! But more importantly; I will risk my life for him because I love him! And…" She trailed off.

But Shikamaru noticed something Itachi said. "How lucky he _is_. That means he is still alive. Am I right in that assumption, Itachi?"

Itachi looked at Shikamaru, who was fast to focus on Itachi's feet. Itachi chuckled. "For now, yes. But I don't know for how long. It depends on so many things. But forget about that for now. It won't…"

He was cut off by Sakura again. But this time, she only screamed at him. "Don't you dare talk about Naruto, like he is some thing you asshole! He is as much a human like you are, if not more! How many people are you planning on letting suffer? First Sasuke-kun, then you put Kakashi-sensei in coma or something like that and now Naruto?! If you harm more of my friends, I will kill you! Even if it's the last thing I do, I will kill you!"

Itachi send her a cold stare, while Shikamaru struggled to keep her where she was. "You will kill me, you say. I doubt that. But as I said before; I have no business with you kids. I have business with Kakashi-san. Kakashi, I have come to ask you a favour."

Kakashi frowned. "What? What did you say?"

Neji frowned too. It wasn't what he expected from an Akatsuki. Especially not one as powerful as Itachi. He prepared for his Rotation, just in case Itachi was pulling a trick. Shikamaru furrowed his brow as he looked at Itachi, while he still kept Sakura from charging recklessly. He furrowed his brow pretty much of the same reasons as Neji, but also because of something else. Something was missing. He decided to wait and hear more.

Sakura on the other hand, had no intentions of waiting to hear what Itachi wanted. Her voice reached a high-pitched state. "A favour?! A favour?! How dare you?! You break Naruto's shin, and now you come here to ask Kakashi-sensei a favour?! Why do we even waste time listening to you, you scum?! And why should we even want to help you?!?!"

Itachi clutched his head and covered his ears. He scowled a bit at Sakura. "You will listen to me, because all of us have something to gain by it. And would you please keep your voice down? You're splitting my ear drums. And to make things worse, I still have a big hangover from this evening."

Neji just glared at Itachi, while Shikamaru and Sakura's jaws dropped. None of them could believe what they just heard. The powerful Itachi Uchiha… had hangovers?

Kakashi looked at Itachi, a curious look in his eye. Then he snorted. "You got a hangover? Well, I guess that's no big surprise. You have never known when to stop drinking. I still remember the first eight times you was drunk. But tell me: What kind of favour? Because I have a feeling that I'm not gonna like this."

Neji, Shikamaru and Sakura were, to put it mildly, confused. Sakura was the first one to speak. "Kakashi-sensei, you can't be serious! After all what Itachi has done, how can you even consider helping him?! What if it's a ruse to kill you?! What if…"

Kakashi cut her off. "Relax Sakura. If Itachi wanted to fight, he wouldn't be standing like he does now."

The three teenagers looked at Itachi. Their eyes widened. Itachi stood with his hands above his head. When he saw that they looked at him he smiled and spoke. "I surrender. I have no intentions of fighting you. I came because I want Kakashi's help."

Neji furrowed his brow, and asked the obvious. "Why? Why do you want help from Kakashi-san? Are you actually telling me that Itachi Uchiha has problems he can't solve by himself?"

Itachi merely looked at Neji as he lowered his arms. "Yes. You are right. I have problems that I can't solve by myself"

Shikamaru smiled a mysterious smile. "I see now. You two have been…"

Kakashi cut Shikamaru off. "That will do, Shikamaru."

For once Neji lost his cool. "No, Kakashi-san. I really want to hear what Shikamaru has to say. And I'm sure Sakura wants to hear it too. Don't you, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. Kakashi sighed, acknowledging the defeat. He just looked at Shikamaru who spoke with a smirk. "Well, my guess is that Kakashi-sensei and Itachi Uchiha have played us all for fools. From the very beginning. They pretend to be enemies, but in reality they are allies. Isn't that about right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed again. Then he nodded once.

Sakura paled. If that was true, then… She didn't know what to do, say or think. Then thoughts overwhelmed her and words came to her. Even though they were hardly a whisper. "What… When…How… Kakashi-sensei… does that mean… that you and Itachi… have been working together about this… why… how could… how can I ever trust you again after this?"

Itachi scratched the back of his head. "Damn it all. It seems I screwed up and blew my cover. I'm sorry Kakashi. I guess this complicates things, doesn't it?"

Kakashi nodded. Then he motioned for all of them to sit down around the campfire. When he saw that his dogs still growled at Itachi, he chuckled a bit. "It's OK guys. You can drop the act. We have been discovered."

The dogs stopped growling at once. Instead they started wagging their tails. Bull approached Itachi as Itachi sat down, facing the three younger ninjas, while Kakashi took position on the side so that he could see everyone. Sakura sobbed a bit at this terrible truth. She still couldn't believe that Kakashi was in collusion with someone like Itachi. But it had to be truth, since the dogs suddenly reacted like that. Sakura placed herself between Shikamaru and Neji, so she sat right opposite Itachi. Shikamaru sat on her left, being the one who was farthest away from Kakashi.

Itachi sighed as he scratched Bull behind the ear. When he spoke, he sounded exceptionally tired. "Sakura, it's not what you think. And you can still trust Kakashi. He doesn't cooperate with Akatsuki. Whether you want to trust him or not is up to you to decide. But it would be a mistake if you don't."

Kakashi spoke with a low voice. He felt horrible that Sakura felt like she felt. But he didn't blame her. "I think it's better if I take over, Itachi." Itachi nodded in agreement. Kakashi shifted his gaze to Sakura. "Sakura, look at me." He waited until she met his gaze. "I'm sorry that you have been dragged into this mess. I would have preferred that you stayed blissfully ignorant of this. I've wanted to tell both you and Naruto about this for so long. But I couldn't, because I couldn't risk that it got out. It would endanger you, Naruto, Itachi and me. If you want prove that I don't cooperate with Akatsuki, then take a look at this."

He held up his right hand and revealed his white porcelain ring. Sakura paled. "You… that ring. I have seen it before. But that just means you _do _cooperate with Akatsuki. Why in the world would you else have that ring?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Wrong, Sakura. I have this ring, because Itachi asked me to take it. You see, Itachi and I joined forces and eliminated the previous owner of this ring. A guy named Tobi. But don't you recognize the ring from somewhere? I think you just said you had seen it before."

Sakura narrowed her eyes in concentration. Then it came to her. "That ring… that belonged to that guy, Sasori. But why was it passed on?"

Itachi stretched his arm towards Sakura. "Those rings can only be removed from the owner's hand, when the owner is dead. You can try to pull this ring off my finger, if you want to."

Sakura hesitated for a moment. Then she took a firm hold around the ring and pulled. It didn't budge at all. Sakura narrowed her eyes and let go of the ring. "How is this even possible?"

Itachi looked at Kakashi who nodded and removed the ring. Itachi answered. "When a new Akatsuki member is enrolled, they are given a ring like mine. The ring sears itself to the finger. Each Akatsuki member has a ring placed on a different finger. The finger corresponds to the position each member has on the statue that is used to seal the Bijuu. Furthermore; those rings allow our leader to locate and assemble the members. But the members won't be teleported to the location; they will appear as a projection of the member. And The Leader is able to punish us by sending his chakra through the rings, causing them to burn our skin and attack our most sensitive nerves."

Neji and Shikamaru nodded. That made sense. But Neji had more questions. "Kakashi-san and Itachi-san; I'm able to understand what you say. However, I still have some questions that you haven't answered so far. 1: Why hasn't the ring seared itself onto Kakashi-san's finger? 2: If your leader is able to locate and punish you by sending chakra through those rings, then he should be able to locate and harm Kakashi-san, shouldn't he? 3: Why did you kill this guy, Tobi? It seems a bit risky to me. After all, you risked to blow your cover"

Sakura and Shikamaru paled. They had wondered about that too.

Itachi smiled. "Those are good questions, Neji Hyuuga. And I will try to answer them. The ring hasn't seared itself to Kakashi's finger, because the rings only sear themselves onto a vacant finger; and as such to a vacant position on the statue. Perhaps you noticed that Kakashi and I wear our rings on the same finger, the right ring finger. Since I already occupy that finger, every pain and chakra signals The Leader sends through them will connect with me. In other words; Kakashi is safe, since it's me The Leader will locate and harm. And why we killed Tobi? As you said, it was risky. I risked blowing my cover. And we both risked our lives, because he wasn't an easy opponent. But it was worth the risk. You see, Tobi wasn't the one he pretended to be. In reality, he was a person who had bothered me for quite some time."

Sakura glared suspicious at Itachi. A man who could bother Itachi Uchiha? Then she asked the obvious. "Who?"

Kakashi answered this time. He locked eyes with Sakura and sighed. "Tobi was Madara Uchiha. He and his younger brother was the first to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. He founded Akatsuki and was the co-founder of the Leaf. At some point he and the First had some disagreements on how the village should be led. It resulted in a fight that Madara lost. Then he founded Akatsuki, left the organization at some point and rejoined it years later as Tobi. He was a threat to the Leaf and he had to be eliminated. And as Itachi pointed out, he wasn't easy. I was on a mission along with Master Jiraiya to gather information on the Akatsuki. It was during the time you dealt with that Fire Temple incident where a boy named Sora was involved. One day I lost my way, and I happened to come by the battlefield. I was caught in the crossfire. Itachi told me who he was fighting and the enemy confirmed Itachi's statement. Itachi needed help, so we combined our forces. And it was necessary, since none of us could have handled him on our own. He had the ability to teleport and making his body 'airy'. 'Airy' in that sense that our attacks went straight through him. None of our normal ninjutsu worked on that guy. Like Itachi and me, he possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan. He was already aware of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan, so he kept his distance so that he could evade Itachi's Amaterasu if he needed to. In case you don't know what Amaterasu is, I can tell you that it is powerful ninjutsu that creates black flames that can't be extinguished by the ways you normally would do it. Water won't extinguish it, and it burns everything. The only one capable of extinguishing it is Itachi. Itachi and I was running low on chakra and Madara was about to finish the both of us. I guessed that our only chance for surviving was that I used Mangekyou Sharingan too, since Itachi and Madara used theirs. Perhaps you can imagine how surprised Madara was. He already knew that he Itachi possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan and he knew that I possessed the Sharingan. I guess he knew it from another Akatsuki member. But he wasn't aware that I also wielded the Mangekyou Sharingan. I caught him off guard, and it appears that the jutsu my Mangekyou causes messed up his abilities to teleport and becoming airy. When we realized he couldn't use any of those annoying abilities, Itachi made short work of him with Amaterasu. Itachi chopped off Madara's head and I got the ring. I was low on chakra, so I needed rest. Itachi stayed by my side and made sure I wasn't harmed by any enemies that might have attacked. That is why I didn't return sooner. We have been allies since then."

The three youth looked at each other. Sakura smiled a sad smile. "Kakashi-sensei, try again. That was a lie. I have known you for so long now that I can tell when you are lying. You, lose you your way? I don't think so."

Neji and Shikamaru smiled at Kakashi. They had also figured out that he lied. Shikamaru chuckled a bit. "Sorry Kakashi-sensei, but she is right. And I doubt that you would just happen to be nearby such a battle by coincidence."

Neji nodded. "Kakashi-san; what about the truth?"

Itachi looked at Kakashi and chuckled. "Well, Kakashi; you can't say they are stupid. They saw through your lie. And to be honest: That lie stunk."

Kakashi scowled at Itachi. He hated to admit it, but Itachi was right. He looked at the three youth. He chuckled a bit before answering. "You three are smarter than you should be allowed to be. OK, I lied a bit. All about our fight with Madara was true. And it was also truth that I was delayed because I needed rest and that Itachi looked after me. But you're right about one thing: I wasn't nearby by coincidence. I was nearby, because Itachi asked me to be." He sighed before continuing. "I guess you deserve the truth. Especially you, Sakura. Well, I guess there is no way I can convince you to let it drop?"

All of them shook their heads. Right now, they were just as excited and intrigued like kids at Christmas Eve. Although, Sakura was disturbed. Why did she deserve the truth more than anyone else?

Kakashi locked eyes with Sakura. "Itachi and I have been allies since Sasuke abandoned the Leaf in his quest for power. One from the Akatsuki, Zetsu, observed some or all of the fight between Sasuke and Naruto. He told the rest of the Akatsuki that Sasuke was going to Orochimaru. Itachi contacted me immediately afterwards. We have been allies since then, and that is the truth."

Sakura became white as a ghost. She couldn't believe it. That long, and no one knew about it? She looked at the two boys beside her. Like her, almost all colours had drained from their faces. No wonder, since they almost died back then. When Sakura finally was able to speak, her voice was barely a whisper. "Kakashi-sensei, I can't believe it. All this time… And you never told Naruto and me about it? But if you have been allies since then… does that mean… that the fight the two of you had when we were on our way to rescue Gaara… even though it wasn't the real Itachi… and the fight just now… were acts?"

Itachi and Kakashi looked at each other before looking back at the younger ninjas. Then they nodded at the same time.

Sakura was completely shocked. She couldn't believe that the Kakashi and Itachi had been in alliance without anyone suspecting them. She had to ask. "Kakashi-sensei, please tell me the truth: How can you two possible be in alliance? I mean, without being suspected for it? Surely, Lady Tsunade or Master Jiraiya must have known about this, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No Sakura, they don't. I don't expect you to understand this or forgive me for keeping this secret for you, but I have already given you my reasons for doing so. If Lady Tsunade knew about this, she would have no choice: She would have to accuse, and most likely, execute me for high treason. And Itachi wouldn't be here if the Akatsuki suspected him for being a traitor. We would use valuable information about Akatsuki if this got out. Their plans etc. You see, Itachi gives the information to me. Once I got the information, I send it out in form of rumour to Master Jiraiya's sources. The only thing you have to understand is that Itachi and I only want to protect the Hidden Leaf Village."

Like Sakura, Shikamaru was in shock. Like Sakura, Shikamaru had a difficult time to understand how this hadn't been discovered before now. But he understood their reasons for keeping it secret. But there was something he didn't understand. He looked at Neji and saw his own thoughts mirrored in Neji's eyes and on his furrowed brow. He needed an answer. "Kakashi-sensei; if all of this is truth, then tell me one thing: How could you and Itachi keep this secret? What I mean is: How could you communicate without us or the Akatsuki noticing? You haven't exactly left the village for some time now, and Lady Tsunade would have known if an Akatsuki member was approaching the village."

To the teenagers' surprise, Itachi and Kakashi started to laugh. When Kakashi saw the confused looks on their faces, he snapped out of it. But he didn't stop chuckling when he answered. "Sharp as always, Shikamaru. Indeed, how could we keep this secret? Well, I think Itachi is better at explaining that than I am. Itachi, I give the word to you."

Itachi smirked as Neji, Shikamaru and Sakura turned their attention to him. "Thank you, Kakashi. As I told you before, The Leader is able to locate, contact and punish the Akatsuki members through the rings. That was his brother's idea. And if you want to know, his brother was the previous leader of Akatsuki, a guy named Pain. Anyway, we found a way to communicate without anyone noticing. We communicate through the same way as he can punish or contact us: Through the rings. And before you ask how, then let me tell you how we do it. I used my Sharingan to see and understand how The Leader does it. When I understood how it was done, I contacted Kakashi. We met in a forest and we talked about it. As I mentioned before, Kakashi can't be detected since he wears the ring on the same finger as I do. As long as we do that, we can channel a little of our chakra into the rings, causing the ring to heat a little. But the heat is so low that only the wearer can feel it. But the heat is not so intense that we will get burned. Of course we could increase the amount of chakra we channel into the rings, but then we risk that The Leader notices. That's why I couldn't send all of that information to you from the hideout. If I'm too close to The Leader when I do it, The Leader will most likely feel his ring burn. So that's why I have to use it when he isn't close or is occupied by something else. Perhaps now you understand how we communicate? We simply morse the messages to each others."

The youth's eyes widened in understanding. The way Kakashi and Itachi communicated was so simple that it was almost ridiculous. All of them had thought it would be something complicated, since Kakashi and Itachi was considered to be some of the most brilliant ninjas in the world. Of course no one would even dare to suggest something as simple as morsing.

Sakura understood it all. But one thing she didn't understand. "Itachi-san, I understand it all too well. But there is one thing I don't understand: If you and Kakashi-sensei are allies and you want to protect the village, then why did you break Naruto's shin?"

Itachi sighed. "I broke his shin, because I had to." When he saw that Sakura was about to say something, he held up a hand to stop her and continued. "Sakura, I had to, in order to keep my cover. The other Akatsuki members would get suspicious if I went easy on him. And I thought that breaking a shin was better than Kisame chopping off a leg. Don't you think so too, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. But Neji still had one more question. "I see how simple and effective the morsing is. But then how did you get in contact the first time?"

Kakashi chuckled. "That was simple too. Itachi merely knocked on my door. And before you ask how he just could do that, I will answer you; he merely cast a genjutsu on himself. Itachi and I aren't exactly novices in the art of genjutsu, so it wasn't that much of a deal. And no one heard us, because I turned up for my stereo. That reminds me Itachi: You still owe me a new stereo. Just after you left, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai and Tsunade stormed my apartment and destroyed my stereo."

Itachi scratched the back of his head and chuckled a bit. "Damn. I just hoped you had forgotten about that. How much was it again?"

Kakashi smirked. "2000 ryo." While Itachi' moaned at hearing how much he owed, Kakashi turned to Sakura, Neji and Shikamaru with a serious expression on his face. "Anything more you want to ask?" When they shook their heads, he turned to Itachi once again. "Well then. The youngsters don't have more they want answered. So tell me Itachi: What kind of favour are you asking for?"

Itachi grew serious in an instant. He got down to business at once. "Sasuke has been taken captive by Akatsuki. I don't know the details, but he fought Devalan when Naruto was captured. Apparently he disguised himself as Naruto with genjutsu, because he knew Naruto wouldn't be killed by any Akatsuki members. I don't know what my brother was thinking. I ask you this favour: When you save Naruto, save Sasuke too. He wishes to return to the village. Kakashi, we are moving to Satur where the extraction is planned to take place, as soon as Devalan has recovered. The cave where Akatsuki is to be located right now isn't big enough to summon the statue. But you can't take Akatsuki by surprise there, since Zetsu will be on the lookout for approaching enemies. Besides, The Leader will be in that cave, and you aren't strong enough to fight him. But he won't be present in Satur. I will make sure that Kisame and I won't be around to come as reinforcements in time. But I'm afraid that I can't say who else of the Akatsuki that will be present. Zetsu won't since he always is our lookout for problems. And I'm afraid that I already told him where to establish a position for the best overview of his surroundings. I didn't know that Sasuke was the false Naruto at that time. I know that it makes thing more difficult for you, but you know that castle and its surroundings better than most.

Kakashi; this is the only favour I will ever ask of you: Save my brother. Save Sasuke. Bring him home to the village."

Sakura gasped and clutched her hands in front of her chest when she heard Itachi's news about Sasuke. She didn't know how many more bad news she could handle. Just as she was about to answer that they would help Itachi, she saw Kakashi's expression. She got a shock. The only thing Kakashi's face displayed was ice-cold anger. She looked at Shikamaru and Neji. Judging by their faces, this wasn't the place they wanted to be. Then Sakura felt it. Murderous intent like she had never felt it before, radiating from Kakashi.

Kakashi looked Itachi straight in the eyes. His voice was cold as ice. "It's funny that you should mention Sasuke. I set out with the intent of killing him at the first sight of him. Thanks to him, Naruto was abducted by Orochimaru. Or to more correct: Although Orochimaru may have been the mastermind behind the abduction; _Sasuke_ was the one who did it. And how I know it? I saw it. I saw Sasuke and Kabuto stab Naruto, and how they tried to put the blame on me and Hinata Hyuuga. Thanks to Sasuke, we just had to tell a bunch of innocent kids about our secret alliance. And by doing so, we endangered them. So tell me, Itachi: Why the hell should I even want to save Sasuke? In mine ears it sounds like he got himself into this mess."

Sakura saw Itachi turn white with anger and… was it possible…despair and fear? Sakura herself didn't know what to say. She wanted to save Naruto and Sasuke so badly that her heart hurt. But Kakashi just said that he didn't cared what happened to Sasuke. Sakura never thought she would hear Kakashi say such things. She thought Kakashi had lost his mind.

As she moved to say something to Kakashi, she felt a trembling hand on her left shoulder. She turned around, just to be met by Shikamaru's pale face. He was scared, so much was clear. When he spoke, he stuttered. "Sakura…. I-I- I really don't think th-th- this i-i-is the right time to b-b-b-be here or say something to- to Kakashi-sensei. Look at Kaka- Kakashi-sensei's face. I have- have a feel-feeling that tells me… Damn it!" Shikamaru calmed down a little. "I have a feeling telling me that if this ends in a fight, then it isn't going to be an act."

Neji nodded. "He's got a point. I think we should keep quiet for now and, if necessary, retreat to a more secure location."

Itachi felt different emotion boils within him. Rage, fear, despair, sorrow. He knew that Sasuke's chances for survival where close to slim if he didn't get Sasuke away from Akatsuki claws. He only had one chance to convince Kakashi to help him. Although; it was risky and Kakashi wasn't going to be pleased.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kakashi and snarled, because of his frustration and anger. "Are you going to go back on your word, Kakashi Hatake? You swore that you would protect Sasuke with your life. You swore on it that n..."

"Itachi! Aren't you forgetting something?! That secret shall stay between the two of us for all eternity! We swore that no matter the means, we would keep that secret! Are you forgetting that, Itachi Uchiha?!"

Kakashi's voice was cold as ice, but his fury was evident to all. The dogs whimpered, ran a bit away and kept their distance. Except Bull and Pakkun. But they tensed as well.

Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji became as white as ghosts, but they stayed put too. More secrets? They all wondered what could be so bad that Kakashi would use any means necessary to keep it secret.

Itachi didn't back down "Oh, I remember Kakashi. But that was years ago. Times change. Or are you still the cold-blooded killer you used to be? It took a lot of nerve that night, didn't it?"

Sakura watched in horror as chakra started to radiate from Kakashi. But it soon stopped, as Kakashi calmed down; even if it just was a little. But his voice was still cold. "Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji: I want you to leave this place for a little while. Itachi and I have something to discuss; something I would prefer to discuss with him in private."

They all just looked at him, utterly dumbfounded. Then Sakura pulled herself together to protest. "No, we won't leave Kakashi-sensei! No more secrets! How can you even think about keeping more secret for us?! If you don't tell us what this is about, I will never trust you again!"

Kakashi just kept staring at Itachi, who seemed quite disturbed. Kakashi didn't even bother to turn his head for a moment when he answered. "Sakura; this is not negotiable. As I said just a while ago; I will keep what Itachi and I are about to discuss secret by any means. Do you understand? If you hear this, you will never see the dawn again."

Sakura chuckled a bit. "So I will not see the dawn again if I hear it? What are you gonna do? Kill me?"

Kakashi slowly turned his head, making Sakura pale when she saw the pupil had turned into a slit and was surrounded by the three commas. When he answered, his voice was emotionless. "If necessary… yes, I will kill you." He turned and looked at his dogs. "Pakkun and Bull: Take these youngsters out of earshot and keep them there."

Pakkun and Bull nodded. They looked at the young ninjas. Pakkun could see that Sakura was shaken to her core. He sighed. "We better go. I only remember Kakashi being in such a bad mood once. That was when Obito died. He wasn't pleasant to be around, and I have a feeling this time is worse. Sakura; this is not the time to discuss things with Kakashi." When he saw tears starting to pool in Sakura's eyes, he sighed. "Sakura; don't worry. He still cares about you and will put his life on the line for you. And he will give you an apology tomorrow. Now, let's go, shall we?"

Sakura wiped the tears away. Then she nodded. Pakkun took the lead, and led them away, making sure they came so far away that even Kakashi's worst shouting couldn't reach them.

---

When Kakashi was sure that his voice couldn't reach the young ninjas, he turned at Itachi. His anger was evident in every syllable, in every word he shouted. "Itachi; are you completely out of your mind?! How can you even consider to reveal our darkest secret?! Add to that; you almost revealed it in the presence of a kid who means everything to me!! You remember what we swore, when you came and asked me for help that evening, right?!"

Itachi frowned. But he didn't shout like Kakashi did when they locked eyes. "But how? You shouldn't be able to remember it. Did the barrier we created to seal that memory away break down?"

Kakashi lowered his voice, remembering that they were alone as the other dogs had walked away too. "Yeah, you could say it broke down. Or rather: Something made it."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "What caused it? Do you have any ideas? After we were done that night, we created that barrier. No one ever found out about it afterwards, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No one. Not even the Third or the elders. Even today, no one suspects me for assisting you in wiping out the Uchiha clan."

Itachi nodded in satisfaction. But he needed to know more. "How much do you remember?"

Kakashi sighed and the slit turned back to a normal pupil. "Everything. How you asked me to help you and that agreed without question; how I cast a genjutsu to make Sasuke lose track of time. How I killed five members of the Leaf Military Police Corps; how I subdued your father and mother. How I put you under a genjutsu so that you could kill your mother. I remember that you said that killing your father wouldn't be a problem, but that killing your mother was too much for you. I remember that I left just when Sasuke arrived to find you standing near the bodies. I remember that I put Sasuke in a place where I knew he would be found; and that we afterwards created that barrier in my mind, once we got back to my apartment. The only reasonable explanation for why the barrier was removed, is that when you used Tsukuyomi on me, my mind more or less was torn apart for seconds. And for some reason, the barrier was destroyed due to the shock it caused."

Itachi nodded. "That makes sense. But then you must also remember that you promised to keep Sasuke safe and…"

Kakashi cut him off with a harsh voice. "And I also remember that I promised that I would teach him how to use the Sharingan properly. I can remember that we requested the Third to let me teach him once he graduated and that the Third agreed. But as you perhaps remember; I also said that if Sasuke ever should become a threat to the Leaf in his quest for power to kill you, I would stop him. And he has become a threat to the village now, a serious one to boot. Wouldn't you say so, Itachi?"

Itachi sighed. "I can't deny that, Kakashi. However." Itachi voice got a hard tone. "However, you will save Sasuke. I will make you by force if I have to. I'll use even Tsukuyomi if necessary." Itachi raised an eye-brow when he noticed that Kakashi smiled at his threat. "What's so funny?"

Kakashi smiled a wide smile. "Force me and use Tsukuyomi on me? Empty words, Itachi. You can't force me; and even if you did, I wouldn't be in a state to fight Akatsuki. And the combined power of the Nine-Tails' chakra and my willpower is more than enough to deal with Tsukuyomi. But if you want to try it, well, be my guest."

Itachi frowned. He knew Kakashi was right. He sighed in despair. "Kakashi; After Obito died, you replaced him as my best friend. He was my favourite cousin and I haven't forgotten how you helped me through my sorrow back then. And I haven't forgotten how you became my secret teacher before I joined the Academy. If our friendship ever meant everything to you; if it means everything to you, then please, save Sasuke. He won't survive if he stays there, and all what I planned will be in vain. And Naruto will lose his friend. I beg of you, Kakashi: Save Sasuke. If not for my sake, then at least for Naruto's."

Kakashi looked at the younger man. Itachi had hit his weak point: Naruto's wish to bring Sasuke back. Naruto had suffered enough and Kakashi didn't want to cause Naruto more suffering if he could do anything to prevent it. He got a determined look in his eye and stood up. He walked over to Itachi until he stood in front of him. He had a hard edge in his voice. "Itachi, stand up." Itachi slowly stood up until he stood in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi continued with his hard tone. "Here is what I will do: I will save Sasuke and let him return to the village. On one condition: He shall be willing to give up his revenge once and for all. If he won't do that, I will do one of following things: Kill him on the spot, hand him over to the Fifth's judgement or leave him behind. Can you accept that?"

Itachi lit up in a small smile after moment of thinking. "Yes, I can accept that. Thank you, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded. Then he chuckled and pulled down his headband over where his right eye used to be. Then he chuckled, raised his right hand and poked Itachi's forehead with his forefinger and his middle finger.

Itachi smiled a sad smile. "I remember that move. Obito used to do that to me. And later you would do it. And later on I would do the exact same thing to Sasuke."

Kakashi laughed. "Yeah. It seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? But I guess we should call back the others. Besides: I assume that you soon will have to go back to the hideout?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes. I think I can linger here for 10-15 minutes."

Kakashi nodded and called out to one of his dog. "Fetch Pakkun and Bull. Tell them that they can come back now."

The dog nodded and 3 minutes later they were all gathered. Kakashi walked over to Sakura, and hold her tight into him. "I'm sorry Sakura. I shouldn't have said the things that I did. Or at least not in the way I did it. But I had to make myself clear and I guess I kind of lost my temper. Can you forgive me?"

Sakura merely nodded into his chest. She hadn't forgotten what he had said, but she had realized that he only said what he said because he wanted to protect her.

Itachi was happy. That Sakura forgave Kakashi was a relief. Hopefully it would make things a bit easier. He raised his hand in a salute. "I've got to go back. Kisame will get suspicious if I'm not around when he wakes up. All of you: Be careful and take good care of each other."

Itachi turned around and started to walk away. Then Shikamaru remembered something. "Hold on a sec, Itachi. There is something that does that I can't trust you."

Itachi turned around to face Shikamaru. "And what would that be? Feel free to ask questions."

Shikamaru nodded. "Akatsuki travels in groups consisting of two people. Where is your partner? Neji couldn't find him with his Byakugan. Aren't you running a great risk by coming here alone?"

Kakashi frowned. "Itachi, Shikamaru got a point. How did you make sure you wasn't followed?"

Itachi smirked. "Hehe. You think I killed my partner? Well, I'm not that stupid. If The Leader found out that I did such a thing, he would kill me for sure. Hehe. I've hangovers for a reason." When they all looked at him inquiringly, he laughed. "Well, I knew that there is an inn about 30 km from here. And there are usually a lot of customers who get drunk in the bar."

Kakashi grinned as he guessed what Itachi had done. "Itachi, you didn't…"

Itachi laughed. "Yes I did. I convinced Deidara and Kisame that you probably would be weakened and not in a condition to fight for a while. So I convinced them that we could afford to get something to drink. In the end they agreed. Each of us got 10 or so glasses of whisky and 5 glasses of red wine. When we should have a beer, I started a fight by tripping up some big guy. He responded by hitting out at Kisame. He missed Kisame, but hit Deidara. More joined people joined the fight. Don't worry, nobody got killed. But while those two were preoccupied with the fight, I slipped a drug into their beers. I got them back to our room, and five minutes later, they slept like kids. Then it was just go finding you and get back before dawn. It is about two hours from now. So if I leave now, I may get some sleep. And while I remember it: Kakashi; Orochimaru has placed a seal on Naruto's forehead saying 'Suppress'. Of course it's in order to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra, but knowing Orochimaru there is most likely some sort of unpleasant surprise to it. We haven't tried to remove it yet, as we're afraid what might happen to Naruto if we do. Also: Orochimaru has done some researching on Sasuke's and Naruto's DNA. I don't know why he wants Naruto's DNA, but for Sasuke, I guess that he wants to discover the Sharingan's secret."

Kakashi frowned. "That is disturbing news. And you are right; Orochimaru most likely planted some kind of trap on Naruto. I will have to deal with that, unless you can." Kakashi got a worried look on his face. "Are you going to be all right, Itachi? If The Leader finds out about this…"

Itachi merely shrugged. "Deidara, Kisame and I will punished for this. Particularly me, since I got the idea to take a drink. But it will be worth it, since Sasuke and Naruto hopefully will be saved."

Kakashi smirked. "Yeah. Hehe. Just like it was worth it the first eight times you was drunk."

Itachi eyes widened. "Oh no!"

Neji, Sakura and Shikamaru looked at Kakashi. They all spoke as one. "What happened, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at Itachi who shrugged. "Just tell them all right. If it makes them feel any better about me."

Kakashi nodded and chuckled. "Itachi was about 15. Well, first time wasn't much fun. He got so drunk that he lost consciousness. That meant that I had to carry him from the bar 'The Drinking Tiger' to the Uchiha clan complex. Meaning from one end of the town to the other. Damn, his father was really pissed. The next three times, he was still conscious, but I would have preferred that he wasn't, since he puked almost all the way from 'The Drinking Tiger' to his home. I think that after I had got him home, his father scolded me for about 30 minutes.

But then things got funny. The fifth time, all of these times it was because he got drunk in 'The Drinking Tiger', he grabbed Kurenai's breast and butt and asked if she would sleep with him. Unfortunately, Asuma saw this and he beat up Itachi so badly that he had to stay in bed for a week.

The sixth time, he tore up Anko's dress and asked her the same question he asked Kurenai. Well, you know how bad-tempered Anko can be. It didn't make it any better that he did it in public, giving a lot of people a clear view of her underwear. She slammed him to the ground and burned his clothes.

The seventh time he kissed Ibiki on the mouth in public. Ibiki didn't show his face in a month, and Itachi had to stay in bed for a week.

And finally the eight…"

Itachi suddenly remembered something. And it wasn't nice. "NOOOOOO! NOT THAT!"

The three teenagers looked at Kakashi, with eyes glowing of excitement. Again, they spoke as one. "What happened, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at Itachi and laughed. "Sorry Itachi. The eighth time, he stole one of Gai's green suits, and ran around in the entire village, singing a song. I think the artist was one called Justin Timberlake and the song was 'Sexyback'. Itachi, do you have any idea of how many break-ins I had to make in order to get all the photos that the villagers took?"

Itachi looked like he wanted a grave to jump in. He looked at the three younger ninjas. They just stared at him. Then they all fall to ground, laughing like hell.

Itachi shivered. "Kakashi, why don't you just kill me now? When I saw the photos, I really wished to die. Never have I been so embarrassed." He grew serious. "Anyway, I need to get going. That reminds me: If I'm to convince the others that I fought you on my own, I will need to have some injuries."

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. What would you prefer? Shall I break a bone or do you want one of my dogs to do it?"

Itachi smiled a sad smile. "I think I prefer a broken bone. Last time one of your dogs bit me, it was Bull. I couldn't sit down for a month, because my ass hurt that much."

Bull chuckled. "You asked for it. You stamped on my tail."

Itachi chuckled. "Whoops. Sorry about that. Anyway, Kakashi; I have a map for you. Zetsu will be standing where the big red X is. And I hope that the chakra of the Nine-Tails will be a big asset for you in the battles to come. A little warning: Devalan didn't use everything in his arsenal last time. If you meet him again, be careful."

Kakashi smiled a weird smile when he took the map. "Thanks for the warning. But don't worry, I will be fine. Thanks to the Nine-Tails chakra, many of my attacks have been enhanced to the extreme. And I have developed some new jutsus I almost can't wait to test. But it was that bone. What do you prefer: An arm or…"

Itachi thought for moment before he came up with an answer. He smiled. "Break my right arm. That way, we will buy you some time to arrive."

Kakashi merely nodded. And with one swift moment, he broke Itachi's right arm. Itachi let out a groan, but thanks to the alcohol that still was in his body, he almost didn't feel the pain.

Kakashi sighed. "You better get going."

Itachi nodded and walked away.

Sakura looked at Kakashi with disturbed eyes and a worried look on her face. "Kakashi-sensei, what did Itachi mean by the chakra of the Nine-Tails? You don't have the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto does. So how can…"

Kakashi sighed again. "I do have some of the Nine-Tails' chakra within me. I will explain it later. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep. You should try to get some too."

They all agreed, and Neji took the next watch.

___

They all stood in the hospital room, watching the sleeping person. He had his pillow covering his head, so they couldn't see his face. They had taken care of Hinata Hyuuga this evening and they knew this was their next target: The traitor, Sai. The clock said 1 a.m.

All eight of them raised their blades above their heads, and attacked.

CLOONK! CLONK! CLONK! CLONK! CLONK! CLONK! CLONK! CLONK!

Their eyes widened under their masks. One of them muttered. "Clonk? What the…" he pulled the sheets away, just to see a wooden figure. He looked alarmed and started to talk aloud. "A wood figure? But that must mean… This is a trap! Get out!"

One giggled from behind. "Sorry guys, but that isn't going to happen!"

Four snakes shot out from Anko's sleeve, entangling one of the Root members. Just as one of his friends was about to cut him loose, Iruka jumped in and blocked, knocking him to ground. As one of the others attacked Iruka, four ANBU joined the battle. The Root members soon realized they needed more space to fight, retreated through the window. Big mistake.

"Wood Element: Wood Chains!"

Yamato's wood jutsu entangled two of them, preventing them from performing any hand seals. Root was down to five, as the one Iruka knocked down was back on his feet. A battle broke out, and for 10 minutes the sound of metal against metal could be heard and various jutsu was used.

It was one-one battles, as one ANBU had stayed behind to keep the Root that Anko entangled in check.

Yamato finished his opponent by hammering him through the wall by transforming his fist into a great wooden hammer. One of the Root threw a smoke bomb. It was no good, because Anko killed him with a fire jutsu. Two of the ANBU overcome their opponents with a combination of wind and fire. The third ANBU pinned his opponent to the ground. But he didn't kill him. And he prevented the Root from committing suicide by removing the pill from his mouth by ripping off the mask and kicking him in the stomach. They had won, and no one was hurt.

Except for one. They saw Iruka fall to the ground and one Root flee. The two idle ANBU started to pursue him, while the last ANBU kept his prey nailed to the ground.

Anko ran to Iruka's side and was soon joined by Yamato. Yamato was worried. "How is he, Anko?"

Anko shook her head and tears started to pool in her eyes. Then her eyes widened and she lowered her head to Iruka's throat. She started to suck away the blood from the wound near the windpipe. She then spat it out and repeated the process.

Yamato eyes widened as he saw the poison in the blood as purple stains in the red blood. Yamato quickly kneeled down and assessed the wound in Iruka's chest. The vest was stained with blood and poison. He quickly removed the vest, assessed the wound and sighed in relief. The poison had been stopped by the vest. But his relief was soon replaced with fear as he heard Anko sob. He turned his head towards her.

Anko looked at him with tears pooling her eyes. "Yamato… I did… everything I could. But... I can't find his pulse. I... I think he is dead."

End chapter 8.


	10. Chapter 10: Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Turn for the Worse.

He was sitting in a dimly lit and rectangular room. The only thing that lit the room was a candle on the table. He was in a foul mood. Akatsuki had destroyed almost everything in his hideout. And to make things worse, they now had the Jinchuuriki. He cursed under his breath. Things never seemed to go the way he wanted. Aside from the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, Akatsuki also had Sasuke. He had hoped that he could gather a little more information about the boy's DNA. He narrowed his eyes when he heard footsteps in the corridor. The door swung open and a masked and cloaked figure entered.

Orochimaru smiled. "So…How did it go, Kabuto? Did you take care of our little issue in the Leaf?"

Kabuto removed his mask and lowered his hood. He adjusted his glasses before speaking. "More or less. Root succeeded in the assassination of Hinata Hyuuga. My first attempt to deal with Sai failed when an ANBU interfered. When Root and I tried to kill him together, it failed yet again."

Orochimaru smiled a smile that expressed everything else than happiness. "What happened?"

Kabuto remained calm. "We were tricked. It seems they moved Sai-kun in secret. The only thing we stabbed was a wood figure. We were ambushed by the wood-user, Anko, a guy named Iruka and some ANBU. I was the only one who managed to escape. But that was mostly because I fought this Iruka. But the alliance between Root and us is complete."

Orochimaru laughed. "Excellent. That old fool to Danzou thinks I will let him become Hokage once Tsunade is overthrown. And now that Hinata Hyuuga is dead, Hiashi Hyuuga will search for me. Of course he will want to kill me, but as soon he hears that I alone has the power to bring his beloved daughter back from the dead, he will do anything I tells him. I will have two secret weapons within the Hidden Leaf Village. One of them is an organization of mindless soldiers; the second is a noble clan. As you can see Kabuto, the idea of switching targets with Root was an excellent idea to gain their trust and throw Tsunade off trail. Now; did you acquire what I asked for?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru. And it proved more effective than you think. Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya have set out with some jounin to hunt you down. Meanwhile, Asuma Sarutobi and Gai have set out with their teams to search for Kakashi Hatake. Even Kurenai did with her team, after hearing that the funeral of Hinata Hyuuga will be postponed. The Leaf is now more vulnerable than ever. And I acquired some of Itachi Uchiha's blood. Soon, we will be able to locate the genes required for the Sharingan.

Orochimaru laughed. "This is good news, Kabuto, really good news indeed. Now, what about Akatsuki and our data on the Jinchuuriki?"

A slight movement by Kabuto's jaw signified that he was a bit nervous. Orochimaru noticed it, but allowed Kabuto to speak. "Concerning Akatsuki, things get blurry. According to the rumours, Akatsuki is moving towards the old castle Satur. I don't know much about that castle. They have been seen travelling with two boys. One blond and one dark-haired. It appears that Sasuke-kun was taken captive along with Naruto-kun."

Orochimaru merely nodded. "Satur you say? Hm. It appears their new leader is ignorant of the terrors dwelling nearby that castle. But tell me Kabuto: What about the data on the Jinchuuriki?"

Again the slight movement. "I'm afraid that during Akatsuki's infiltration, most of our data concerning Naruto-kun was lost. The only data that survived was the results on how much pain he could endure. Lord Orochimaru, may I ask something?"

Orochimaru sighed. "Well, easy come easy go I suppose. There was too much good news, so of course there would be some bad. It seems we will have to recapture the Nine-Tails brat. But what is it that you want to ask?"

Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. "What kind of terrors are you talking about, when you say the terrors nearby that castle?"

Orochimaru chuckled slightly. "Not long ago, Akatsuki had to replace some of their members. The only original ones remaining are Deidara, Zetsu, Kisame and Itachi. I don't know the details myself, but it appears that Pain, Konan, Kakuzu and Hidan challenged 'The Night Lord' to a fight in their hunt for a Jinchuuriki. That challenge became their doom. 'The Night Lord' wiped them out. I think it was about the same time I fought the Nine-Tails brat."

Kabuto paled. "Pain? But wasn't he the leader? And wasn't he said to be invincible? And 'The Night Lord'? He is just a myth!"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "You would do better not using that tone with me, Kabuto. Otherwise I will kill you."

Kabuto regained his composure. "It wasn't my intention to shout my Lord. But if this 'Night Lord' really exists and is so powerful, and he lives nearby Satur, then why hasn't he interfered more than he has? Why didn't he wipe out the rest of Akatsuki?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at Kabuto. That Kabuto never seemed to fear him more than he did was beyond annoying. He sighed. 'The Night Lord' retired long ago. He doesn't care what happens to the rest of the world. He didn't wipe out the rest of Akatsuki, because they weren't around. He only kills people when they are foolish enough to enter his domain, The Village Hidden in the Dark. Or so the legend goes. Oh, what power. To have so much power that you never have to fear anybody in the world. He should, according to the legend, have a Bloodline limit that surpasses every Bloodline limit that exists today. The power to resurrect the dead, without having to sacrifice another. But then again: If the rumours are true, he isn't likely to pass that power down to another. After all, it is said that the Bijuu were born out of his blood. And even the Bijuu never dared to come close to that village. Or castle, as it is. And no, it isn't Satur. That castle is located in a deep ravine, 50 km to the north from Satur."

Kabuto nodded in understanding. "As always, you know everything without me having to report to you. But how do you know where Satur is?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "A long time ago, the three Sannin teamed up with the White Fang and he told us about it. I don't know Satur's exact location, but I have a pretty good guess."

Kabuto merely nodded in understanding. Then a small smile crept over his face. "I see. If I may ask; what will our next target be? Satur or the Leaf?"

Orochimaru tilted his head to the right, trying to see if Kabuto could have any personal reason to either of the choices. He couldn't. He smiled one of his evil smiles. "I think we will hit Satur first. The body may not be ready yet, but I can't wait to see Itachi's face when he sees my little surprise. But tell me Kabuto; how long do you need to get the clone ready?"

Kabuto smiled a mischievous smile. "Now that I have Itachi Uchiha's blood, it shouldn't take too long. Besides, our equipment and laboratory are better in this base. Give me six hours or so, and the clone of Sasuke-kun will be complete. Unfortunately, the clone will have to be trained. Even if it possesses some of Sasuke-kun's memories concerning his training, it won't remember the most powerful ones. But it won't have Sasuke-kun's mind, so it will obey you willingly. That is more than could be said about Sasuke-kun. A fair trade for the Sharingan, if I may say so."

Orochimaru laughed and licked his mouth. "Indeed. A very fair trade. Very well. Kabuto; you will have 8 hours to work your magic. And then… we will head for Satur."

Kabuto nodded and left the room to get to work. He was nervous. Especially if Orochimaru was wrong, and this 'Night Lord' interfered.

___

They were travelling with all speed. They needed to find Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji fast. Fortunately, Akamaru and Kiba were still able to track their scent. Kiba's nose twitched and he signaled 'stop' to the ones behind him. They all stopped and readied their weapons.

Kurenai tensed. "What's wrong, Kiba?"

Kiba turned around. "I smell something. Don't worry, it isn't the enemy. There is a strong smell of something burned 600 metres up ahead and… a faint smell of blood. I think a battle took place. Be on the lookout for traps."

They all nodded and they moved on with great caution. After a while, they saw trees that were burned, splited and knocked down. And it only got worse as they moved forward.

Ino gasped. "What on earth happened here?!?"

They all looked at an area that was completely scorched and completely clean for trees. Everything had been burned.

Kiba tensed. "This isn't good."

They all tensed. Lee spoke. "Kiba-kun, what is it?"

Kiba sniffed in more than once. "I smell Neji's scent and Kakashi-sensei's blood here. But… then their scents disappear up ahead. But I really don't want to think of who they could have fought that could cause this massive destructions."

Asuma sighed. "Whatever the case, we need to see if we can find trace of Kakashi and the others. Even if they were done in it."

Tenten was scared and her voice was barely a whisper. "Oh God. If anything happened to Neji…"

Gai placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Tenten. Neji is strong. And Kakashi is with him and the others. Knowing my rival, he's trick or two up his sleeve." But Gai was nervous too.

---

They travelled for another hour, when Kiba signalled to stop again. Akamaru growled. Kiba nodded and draw a kunai. "Someone is approaching us. And whoever they are, they are approaching fast. Get ready… ten… five… four… three… two… NOW!"

Kiba threw his kunai and they all jumped in the same direction, weapons ready for an attack. But they all stopped when a voice barked at them. "What the hell is the meaning of this?!"

Gai's eyes widened. "What? Aren't you one of…"

Kakashi's dog with the sunglasses growled. "One of Kakashi's dogs, yes. The name is Coolio. And going by your clothes, you must be… sorry, I don't remember your name."

Gai reacted his usually way "OH MY GOD!! Kakashi's dogs don't recognize me, his eternal rival?! How disappointing!"

Lee nodded. "Very disappointing, Gai-sensei! Kakashi-sensei should educate his pets better…"

Coolio sweat dropped before growling with a low voice, but it was mostly to himself. "The apple never falls far from the tree. If the teacher is an idiot, the pupil will end up as an idiot as well." He shook his head as he addressed the others. "Never mind. Before I proceed… who was that dumbass who threw a kunai, without knowing who the target was?"

Kiba scratched his neck with a goofy grin on his face. "Eh, that would be me. Sorry about that."

Coolio looked at Kiba. "Apology accepted. And… stop growling at me you little whelp! Or I will make your fleas seem like the least of your worries. Have you no manners?"

Akamaru whimpered as he got scolded by the elder dog. As Kiba was about to say something, Asuma cut in. "Coolio, since you are here, it must mean Kakashi is still alive, right?"

Coolio turned his head in Asuma's direction. He smiled. "Kakashi is fine. Or as fine as he can be. He fought one from Akatsuki a couple of days ago and lost his normal eye in the process."

Tenten couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to know and started shouting. "What about my boyfriend?! What about Neji?!"

She was soon followed by Chouji and Ino. "And what about Shikamaru?! And Sakura?!"

Coolio tried to cover his ears. "One at a time, please!" When they stopped shouting, he continued with a smile. "They are all fine."

They all sighed in relief. But Lee asked the questions that worried them all. "Akatsuki? How did he or they look like? And why are you running this way? Shouldn't you help Kakashi-sensei in tracking down Orochimaru so that we can save Naruto-kun?"

Coolio was getting annoyed. "Look kid, I don't know who he fought. I didn't participate in the battle. I'm running this way, because I have a message from Kakashi to the Hokage."

A voice sounded from behind the group. "That would be me."

They all turned around and their jaws dropped. Behind them stood Tsunade in her vest, Jiraiya, Aoba, Genma, Raido, Ibiki and a dozen of ANBU.

Coolio sniffed in and nodded. "The message is in my collar."

Tsunade jumped down to him, took the message and read it. She gasped and read aloud.

"_Lady Hokage. _

_The situation has taken a turn for the worse. Naruto has been captured by Akatsuki. They are taken him to the old castle of Satur; my only guess is that is there they will extract the Nine-Tails. DO NOT leave the village. Send reinforcements at once. The messenger will lead the way. Don't worry._

_Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji are fine. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Kakashi Hatake." _

Tsunade smiled a sad smile. "Typical. Kakashi knew I would leave the village." She grew serious. "I guess there is a change in plans. We won't be looking for Orochimaru. Our top priority will be to reach Kakashi and his team, and aid them in the battle against Akatsuki. We will get Naruto and the others back safely at any cost! GOT IT?!"

"YES MA'AM!"

Asuma frowned. "Lady Hokage; how could you and Master Jiraiya catch up with us so fast?"

Tsunade chuckled. "Well, how should I put this? Well, no matter how much I hate to admit this; no matter how much I deny it; the truth is that love when Naruto calls me 'Grandma'. He is like the grandson I always wanted. And I will do anything to keep him safe. And that gives me extra strength. Perhaps you know what I mean?"

Asuma and Kurenai blushed. And even if no one noticed, Kurenai placed a hand on her stomach.

Jiraiya chuckled. "If you are the grandmother, then I must be your husband, right?"

Tsunade turned toward him with a stern expression. "In your dreams, old man. In your dreams."

That wiped the grin of Jiraiya's face. They all grinned. After a few minutes, Tsunade sighed. "Let's go."

"Lady Hokage! Lady Hokage, wait!"

Tsunade turned around as a chuunin landed right behind her. He panted hard as he tried to catch his breath. Tsunade frowned. "What's wrong? What happened?"

The chuunin finally caught a little of his breath. "Iruka… poisoned… coma. Root… tried… to assassinate… Sai. Don't… know… if Iruka… will survive. Anko… couldn't find… his pulse. Root… starting… civil war."

He fell to the ground. First now they saw the kunais and shurikens in his back. He was dead.

Jiraiya frowned. "A civil war? Have Danzou gone mad or something?"

Tsunade frowned too and bit her nail as she thought. This was some kind of a dilemma. Her duty was to stabilize and protect the village, but Jiraiya and the others would need all the strength they could get. Then she came to a decision. "Aoba, Genma, Ibiki and Raido; head back to the village and establish a council of war with Shizune and other jounin-level ninjas. Evacuate all civilians, under aged ninjas and genins. If it's a war Danzou wants… it's a war he shall get."

"YES MA'AM!"

"Wait!"

They all turned to their left. It was Kankurou. He panted. "Temari and Baki have already reached the Leaf village with the reinforcements you requested. Lord Kazekage said that he owed the Leaf for coming to his rescue back then. He wanted to come himself, but we convinced him to stay where he is. For now there have only been small skirmishes, but the organization called Root is well prepared. Lady Hokage, I'm afraid that the situation can escalade any time."

Tsunade nodded. Kankurou was right. But she had already made up her mind. "I will lead this group on the rescue mission. It will take time for the Sand reinforcements to catch up with us and brief them. Let them assist our troops against Root if they want to, but they aren't obligated to." She addressed the Leaf sninobi. "Anyone who wish to return to the village?"

All of the younger ninjas shook their heads. Chouji spoke for them all. "Lady Hokage; none of us youngsters, as many would call us, will abandon Naruto. He is our comrade and we will put our lives on the line for him. Besides; we haven't that much experience in a real war. Especially not in a civil war. But we know what it means to fight for the one we cherish and how to deal with few enemies."

Asuma nodded. "Chouji is right. None of you have the experience in a real war. The fights you have had, have only been skirmishes. But Chouji and the rest of you: Think about this carefully. Akatsuki may be few, but they are all powerful. Lee, Neji and Tenten know this, since they have already met one of them. And he wasn't the real deal. Perhaps it would be better if you fought Root."

Tsunade looked at each of the teenagers. She smiled when she saw their expressions. Even though she had a guess on what their answer would be, she had to ask. "Who will you prefer to fight? Akatsuki or Root? Think carefully."

The teenagers looked at each other. They could read the answer in each others' eyes. Their answers sounded as one. "AKATSUKI!"

Tsunade smiled. She hadn't expected less from this generation. She turned to the youngsters' senseis. "And what about you?"

Gai laughed. "Well, I intend to follow my old genins into battle. Besides; I can't let Kakashi have all the fun! I would feel old if I did! Full power of youth!"

Asuma and Kurenai sweat dropped. But their answers were something similar. Asuma chuckled. "Well, I intend to follow my team too. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I was left behind. Especially since I would be forced to listen to how they kicked some Akatsuki members' butts."

Kurenai smiled. "Same goes for me. Besides; I owe Itachi Uchiha a kick."

Tsunade smiled. "Then it's settled. They are coming with us. Aoba, Genma, Ibiki, Raido and the ANBU members will return to the village."

Kankurou nodded and took off accompanied by Aoba, Genma, Ibiki, Raido and the dozen of ANBU. Two of the ANBU carried the body of the chuunin between them. And soon Tsunade and Jiraiya led the Leaf sninobi in the direction Coolio showed them.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with a concerned look in his eyes. "Are you sure about this, Tsunade? You should probably head back to the village. This will most likely cost you the job as Hokage."

Tsunade shrugged. "That may be the case. But I've made up my mind. I'm going to save Naruto. Besides; isn't the Hokage's job to protect the village? I'm willing to sacrifice the job as Hokage, to ensure a future Hokage's safety. That way I'm still protecting the village."

Jiraiya nodded, but he was concerned. Even if Coolio could find the way to Satur, it wasn't likely they would reach it in time. Due to their larger numbers, they couldn't move as fast as he had hoped.

For now, they had to bet their hopes on Kakashi. But he was also worried for the younger ninjas. Many of them had never fought Akatsuki. And those who had, had only fought an Akatsuki member that wasn't the real deal. Last of all, he was concerned that their relationship with Naruto would cause them to lose their cool. If he had to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure he could.

But then again; better they lose their cool where there are few enemies to worry about and where they can get back-up, than they lose their cool where there a many enemies and limited back-up.

Jiraiya sighed. Akatsuki or civil war? It was like being between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade once more. A sad smile appeared on his face. "This is just like the old days, isn't it? Battles are awaiting us on both fronts."

Tsunade sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I just hope we are in time to save Naruto and return to the village to settle things there."

Jiraiya nodded again. But he knew that they most likely wouldn't make it in time. Especially considering that they would have to look a bit for Satur, since none of them knew the exact location. And even if they did know it, it would take at least four or five days to get there. Things didn't look good.

___

The Leader pounded Sasuke into the ground. He was furious. "I'm asking you one last time: What is the full purpose of that seal?!"

Sasuke just glared at him. Then a smile swept over his face. "Are you deaf or something? I already told you; it's just to suppress the Nine-Tails."

The Leader kicked Sasuke hard in the chest. "Stop messing with me, you brat! I no longer care what Itachi said. If you don't tell me, I will kill you!"

Sasuke stood up and activated his Sharingan. "Then please; come on and try it."

The Leader locked eyes with Sasuke. The Rinnegan stared into the Sharingan. A small, cruel smile appeared. "I'm just about as strong as my brother, the previous leader of Akatsuki, Pain. I guess I can toy with you a little longer. After all, we are just a half day away from Satur. We're just waiting for Itachi and the others to return, since Itachi is the only one who knows the rest of the way. Unless you know it too?"

Sasuke merely shrugged. "Satur? Never heard of it. But if you really are that strong, then why are you hesitating? I thought I would be dead by now. Unless you are like Orochimaru, who likes to have a little chitchat. And since you took my sword, I'm bit handicapped. So why don't you try your luck?"

The Leader frowned in fury. This brat was pissing him off beyond what he thought was possible. His calm and his impertinence. Frankly, everything about Sasuke pissed him off. "You sure got some guts there kid. I don't care if kill you right now, since we soon will be done with the Jinchuuriki. Earth Element: Flying Stone Javelin jutsu!"

Three small spears flew towards Sasuke, who dodged them with ease. He smirked. "Come on. Hopefully, you can do better than that? Otherwise you're in trouble."

The Leader fall victim to Sasuke's taunting. "You little… I'm gonna kill you! Wind Element: Arctic Wind jutsu!"

A cold wind suddenly blew towards Sasuke with icicles in it. Sasuke merely smirked and made some hand seal. "Sorry; but I don't need nice to cool my drink. Fire Element: Grand Fireball jutsu!"

A fireball was blown from Sasuke's mouth towards The Leader. The fire merged with the wind, creating an even larger fireball. The Leader was forced to dodge. He cursed. "Not bad kid. Not bad at all."

"Thanks."

The Leader spun around and he just managed to dodge Sasuke kick. But Sasuke was caught off guard by the attack from behind. But he was back on his feet in an instant. Zetsu had joined the fight. Apparently he had been bored guarding Naruto. A small smile crept over Sasuke's lips. "Are you two now? Hehe. Then you at least have a chance. I have regained my strength. Time to take you losers down and get my friend out of here."

"I don't think so, brat."

Shredkill appeared from the trees, with a fully recovered Devalan by his side. "You will have to fight me first; and Devalan here wants to kill you. And this time…"

"But he will let him live. For now, anyway. Otherwise Itachi-san is gonna be in a real foul mood."

Kisame appeared along with Deidara, who held his normal right hand to his head. They heard him mumbling something about too many drinks and a heavy hangover. But what really made The Leader frown was that Kisame was supporting Itachi. Itachi had obviously broken his right arm; and now Kisame had to support Itachi from Itachi's left.

When The Leader spoke, his voice was filled with anger. "What happened?"

Itachi smiled a cruel smile. "I guess I underestimated Kakashi Hatake and his companions. They were stronger than I thought. But that doesn't matter. I killed them. And if you wish to punish somebody for the condition Kisame and Deidara are in, then it should be me. I was the one who convinced them that we could afford to take a drink. One drink let to another, and before I knew it, I was face to face with Kakashi Hatake. But as I said: I killed him and the others. So we can extract the Nine-Tails as soon a healer has taken a closer look on my arm."

The Leader locked eyes with Itachi. He felt uneasy. Something wasn't right. It wasn't like Itachi to be careless like that. After all, Devalan had said that he hit Kakashi with almost everything in his arsenal; and Kakashi still fended him off. He tried to find any trace of a lie in Itachi's eye. Anything that would give him away. But he couldn't. He sighed and smiled a cruel smile. "Very well Itachi. But I don't think a healer will be necessary. Let Shredkill handle that arm. It isn't a problem, right? And since you killed the people that could prove trouble to us, I see no reason to punish you or the others for that little detour."

A slight frown crossed Itachi's face. This wasn't what he had expected or hoped would happen. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He cursed under his breath, but he had no choice. "Of course it isn't a problem, my Lord. Shredkill, make it quick. I would like to have a word with my little brother."

Shredkill merely nodded and walked over to Itachi. He took a firm grip around the broken bone, and with a twist, he put the bone back together, causing Itachi to groan in pain. Then he used what little medical ninjutsu he had to mend the bone so that Itachi could use his arm normally.

Itachi moved his now healed arm, groaning a little in the process. He looked at Naruto and saw the hate, sorrow and distress in his blue eyes. He sighed. He wished that he could tell Naruto the truth, but he knew that Kakashi would most likely kill him if he did. And it didn't become any better.

The Leader smiled. "Well, Itachi. Now that our problems are solved, then tell us: How much further?"

Itachi cursed under his breath. Nothing went according to the plan. First his 'injury' was healed and now he had to tell them the truth. "Not much. In fact, the road to Satur is around the corner."

"Good. Let's just extract the Nine-Tails."

They all looked into the forest. Murdgaki and Blackrose, now fully recovered, were approaching with ominous smiles on their lips. Blackrose snickered. "Oh, the boys are finally awake? How delightful. I can't wait to get a taste of them."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He remembered this girl. She had been the reason he had lowered his guard and had been caught. "Sorry, but I have no intentions of letting an ugly bitch like you bite me."

The Leader turned his head in Sasuke's direction, while Murdgaki struggled to keep Blackrose away from Sasuke. (Her expression was pretty much like Sakura's when she met Sai for the first time).

The Leader smiled. "Oh yes. I had almost forgotten everything about our other guest. Itachi; don't you think you can convince that pest of a brother to tell us about that seal on the Jinchuuriki's forehead?"

Itachi looked at Sasuke. "I think so. But I would prefer to do it in private. Can it wait until we reach Satur? I would like to rest a bit first. And the walk to Satur is going to be long and tough."

"Not as tough as what awaits you! Now die, Itachi Uchiha!"

Sasuke charged at Itachi, knocking Zetsu out of his way as he went. He charged his Chidori and stroke. Itachi merely stepped aside and prepared for Sasuke's second attack, but it never came. Kisame stepped in, and dealt one swift kick to Sasuke's right temple, knocking Sasuke unconscious.

Kisame smirked. "Sorry about that, Itachi-san. But if we aren't far from Satur, I would prefer to get there quickly and be done with this. And if the road is difficult, I would prefer not having to worry about your brother trying anything funny." He frowned. "How did he get out of his restrains anyway?"

"I guess Zetsu wanted some lunch, hmm."

Zetsu scowled at Deidara, but he remained silent..

The Leader was getting pissed again. "It doesn't matter. One moment he was restrained by some of Shredkill's chains, the next he was surrounded by lightning. I knocked him down and interrogated him about that seal. No results."

Itachi nodded. After what he heard last time, Sasuke was regretting what he had done in the past. And now he wanted to protect Naruto. And he did the right thing: As long as Akatsuki didn't know the full purpose of the seal, it would be more than stupid trying to remove the seal and extract the Nine-Tails.

Unfortunately, The Leader had other ideas. "Well then. Time to get going. Like Kisame, I would prefer to be done with this business."

Itachi paled. "But my Lord! It would be foolish to try anything before we know that seal's purpose! To be honest, it would be…ugh!"

The Leader had turned around and punched Itachi straight in the midriff, knocking almost all breath out of Itachi. Itachi fell to the ground, coughing up a little blood.

The Leader glared down at Itachi, his eyes burning with anger. "Listen very, very carefully Itachi. I won't tolerate any questions about my leadership. If you ever dare to ask questions about it or contradict me again, I will do something much worse than a little punch. Have I made myself clear?"

Itachi met his The Leader's gaze for a couple of second, before he lowered his head and answered. "Yes, my Lord."

The Leader nodded with a cruel smile. "Good. Kisame; you carry the black-haired brat. Itachi; you will make sure the Jinchuuriki doesn't try to make a run for it. Not that I think it's possible, but you never know."

Kisame furrowed his brow a bit, but he did as he was told. He flung Sasuke over his left shoulder and grinned at Naruto. "You better behave. Otherwise it might get unpleasant for the both of you. Do you understand?"

Naruto glared at Kisame, wondering how things had gone so wrong. He blamed himself for being so weak. Then he saw that Itachi was approaching and he got new strength. He jumped to his feet; ignoring the pain in his shin, Naruto charged at Itachi.

Itachi sighed. He really wished he didn't had to do what he was about to do. He moved swiftly, grabbed Naruto by the throat and slammed him into a nearby tree.

Itachi locked eyed with Naruto, His voice was cold as ice when he spoke. "I don't want anymore trouble with you. Or do I really have to break your other shin too?"

Naruto almost couldn't breath due to Itachi's iron grip. While Naruto was pinned to the tree, he struggled to speak. His voice was barely audible, so Itachi had to come closer to hear what he said. "You bastard! First you make Sasuke suffer by killing your clan. Do you have any how much that affected him?! Later, you put Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke in coma! And now you will let those idiots kill Sasuke?! What kind of a brother are you?! I'm a tenfold better brother than you ever were! And now…" tears started to pool in Naruto's eyes. "You killed Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru, and Neji and… and… and Sakura-chan! You've killed the people most precious to me! How can you even… even think that I won't cause any more problems?! Go ahead… break my other shin! I don't care!"

Itachi merely looked at Naruto. Then he dropped Naruto. Naruto screamed in agony when he hit ground. But that was because he landed on his broken shin.

The Leader smiled. He could see that Itachi's cruelty hadn't diminished and thus he was still loyal to Akatsuki. "Well done Itachi. Now; lead the way to Satur."

Itachi nodded and pulled Naruto up from the ground by his left arm before he let go so that Naruto could stand on his feet by himself. When Naruto tried to stand on his feet, he almost fell again due to the pain. But before he hit the ground, Itachi grabbed him by the arm. Naruto was, to put it mildly, surprised. He didn't think Itachi would do such a thing. He knew how cruel Itachi could be. But he was in for another surprise. Itachi gently put his right arm around Naruto's shoulders and placed Naruto's left arm around his neck and hold it in place by his left hand, making sure Naruto didn't fall again. But what really surprised Naruto, was the hint of a smile on Itachi's face.

When Itachi saw the confused look in Naruto's eyes, the smile vanished. When he spoke, his voice was so low that only Naruto could hear him. "If you want to live longer, then cling to hope." Another smile crept over Itachi's lips.

Naruto was shaken to his core. Perhaps it was just his imagination… but wasn't those two smiles… friendly and comforting? "And what do you mean by that?"

Itachi just looked at him, a glimpse of concern in his eye. "I mean what I said. But for now… You better behave. Otherwise you and Sasuke will be in even greater danger than you are now. Do you understand me… Naruto-kun?"

Naruto had no idea of what was going on. But for some reason… Itachi didn't want him to suffer more than necessary. He nodded.

Itachi let out a small sigh. "Let's go."

They started to walk. Itachi was in the lead, supporting Naruto, while the rest of Akatsuki followed right behind them.

---

Ten minutes later, they came to a halt. They stood by the edge of a huge ravine; it was about 150 metres broad. And in front of them was there a huge suspension bridge; it was the only way to cross the ravine. About halfway, the bridge parted in two ways. One leading to the left, the other leading straight forward. And the only way that made it possible to come from one side of the ravine to the other was the bridge; because there was a huge crack between the two other sides.

Itachi pushed a stone over the edge with his food. They waited for 3 minutes, but they never heard it hit the bottom. In other words, they had no idea of how deep the ravine was.

The Leader frowned. "Itachi, are you sure about this? We have no idea of how deep that ravine is. Furthermore, if the Jinchuuriki gets loose and jumps…"

Itachi tightened his grip around Naruto's left wrist. "He won't. But we have to be careful because of the wind. Our goal is to reach the other side opposite us."

Shredkill glared at the terrain just across the bridge. He narrowed his eyes. What he saw was a very steep mountain, covered with trees and rocks. But before he could say something, Itachi had started to cross the bridge and the others soon followed.

When they reached the middle of the bridge, a gust almost blew them off. The gust was so powerful that Naruto was on his way over the railing, and the entire bridge started to swing and creak. The only reason Naruto wasn't blown away, was because Itachi tightened his grip just in time.

Naruto couldn't help it. He was shivering with fear. Not because of Akatsuki, or of the fact that he almost was blown away. He had sensed something evil in that gust. Something more evil than the beast inside of him. His voice was low, but clear to all. "What… was that? And… where are we?"

When he looked at his captures, he got a shock. Kisame still had a firm grip of Sasuke, but he was trembling a little. They were all trembling and fear was evident in their eyes, but not to the same extent as Naruto. Shredkill glared at Naruto. He was certain that Naruto caused that little stunt and now tried to play them for fools. He moved quickly and lashed out at Naruto.

Itachi stepped in and blocked. He locked eyes with Shredkill. His voice was cold. "Don't ever do such a thing again. One blow with that armoured arm of yours is enough to kill him. Besides; he doesn't possess that kind of powers. However…" Itachi swallowed his own fear before continuing. "Someone else does."

The Leader glared at Itachi. "Who?"

Itachi sighed and looked to the north, following the ravine's darkness beneath them. He eyed some dark clouds over the mountain about 50 km away. "You have all heard of him. Perhaps you think that he is nothing but a legend to scare little kids. He resides within the walls of The Village Hidden in the Dark. He was… and probably still is… the most powerful ninja that ever has set foot in this world. His real name is Dracula… but he is known by most as The Night Lord."

The name alone was enough to make the blood in Naruto's freeze. Or so it felt. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "The Night Lord? Just how powerful is he?"

A cruel smile swept over Itachi's face when he pulled Naruto back to his feet. When he had Naruto firmly back in place, he locked eyes with Naruto. "Strong enough to make the Nine-Tails keeps its distance. Even in his prime, Madara Uchiha never dared to fight him. Well, I suppose it isn't that strange. After all; The Night Lord helped Madara and his younger brother to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. And if you want to know, Naruto-kun: Madara was the co-founder of the Leaf."

Naruto paled. "What? The… the Nine-Tails… feared him?"

Itachi merely nodded. Then he sighed. "But that's irrelevant. What matters now is that all of us will need all our strength to climb that mountain and make it to Satur. If we want to make it alive, that is."

Deidara rubbed his chin. "Can't I just take the Jinchuuriki and fly him to this castle? Or we could simply blow our way, hmm."

Itachi smiled a sarcastic smile. "We could do that. But if we did, we would lose time. Even if you tried to get there by flying, you wouldn't find it. You see, Satur can only be found by those who already know where it is. And since Kakashi Hatake is dead, I'm the only one who knows where it is. I don't know the details of how he did it, but The Night Lord made Satur to one of the most secret and secured places in this world. I don't know how Kakashi learned about it. I doubt that he learned it from The Night Lord. But Kakashi showed me how to find it."

Deidara frowned. "Then what about blowing our way?"

Itachi shook his head. "Not an option. Aside from the traps I have set up, The Night Lord placed some traps in the past that are even more dangerous. One misstep… and we are dead. All of us. Even my most destructive or protective Mangekyou Sharingan jutsus won't be enough to protect us."

The Leader frowned. "I guess we have to ascend this mountain carefully then. I assume we can't use our special abilities to neutralize those traps, am I correct?"

Itachi nodded. Then he addressed Naruto. "Let's go. Be sure to stay close by my side and do exactly as I tell you. Otherwise, we are all dead. Even Sasuke. And your remaining hope would be in vain. Do you understand that?"

Fortunately, none of the other Akatsuki members heard what he said. They were too busy looking to the north. Itachi started to climb the mountain, making sure Naruto didn't set off any of the hidden traps.

---

Many curses, a lot of sweat and explosions later, they reached their destination. Satur was to be located in a rocky valley. It was surrounded by towering cliffs. People could only enter through the passage they just came from and a passage on the other side of the castle.

Naruto's eyes widened in awe. Satur was made of stone instead of wood. And it was old. Very old. Many of the stone walls and towers were very weather-beaten, because you could see with the naked eye that the stones were smooth. But how that could happen in a valley, was something Naruto had no idea of. The roof was gone and some places the walls were falling apart. But the walls seemed too tall and too steep to climb, even if you used chakra. But one thing was still completely intact: The heavy iron gate with a Five-point barrier note placed on it. Naruto frowned. He had seen that kind of seal before. It was identical to that seal Akatsuki had placed on that cave's entrance. He remembered it, because it had prevented him from reaching Gaara in time.

Itachi looked over his shoulder and a small smile appeared. The ascent had taken its toll on the Akatsuki members' nerves. They had only set off the minor traps, but each of traps they had encountered could as well have killed at least one of them.

The Leader scowled at Itachi. "To be honest, I don't understand why you bothered to set your traps. Those traps we encountered should have been enough. And why didn't you dismantle some of them when you secured this place a half year ago?"

Itachi smiled a sad smile. "Sorry about that. The only traps I dismantled back them were those placed within the ruin. Those outside were too difficult to dismantle. I saw that if dismantled one trap, two or three might go off."

The Leader nodded. Sounded reasonable enough. "I see. Now; where can I summon the statue?"

Itachi ventured a look at Sasuke. He was still unconscious. But that wasn't because Kisame had kicked him. During the ascent, The Leader had given him a drug, because Sasuke had suddenly awakened. He had given Kisame a really bad surprise, because when he returned to consciousness, he had started his full- body Chidori, giving Kisame one heck of a shock.

Now Sasuke was restrained by some of Shredkill's special chains. Then he looked at The Leader. "There is room enough in the middle of the ruin."

The Leader smiled a murderous smile at Naruto. "Excellent. Soon we will be one step closer to our goal. Let's go. Oh. And I think we will place the Uchiha- brat in the dungeon. There is a dungeon, with unbreakable cells, right Itachi?"

Itachi wished that he could give a different answer. "Yes."

The Leader laughed. "Good. Show the way, Itachi."

Itachi nodded and let the way.

---

Five minutes later, they were standing in the middle of the ruin. The space was enormous, about 50 metres broad and 60 metres long. There was about 25 metres to the where the ceiling started. And to Naruto's surprise, much of the ceiling was still intact. Itachi dropped Naruto in a corner, and led Kisame down to the dungeon. They found a heavy iron door with some weird inscriptions. When they opened the door, they discovered a small cell with no windows. The only thing inside the cell was a lousy and rather uncomfortable looking mattress.

Kisame chuckled. "I think this will do fine. Or what do you think, Itachi-san?"

Itachi merely shrugged. That was good enough for Kisame. He dropped Sasuke on the mattress. When he walked out, he slammed and locked the door. He chuckled. "That should keep him there."

Itachi nodded. "Let's go back."

They walked back to receive their instructions.

___

All four of them were travelling with all speed. Itachi had said he that hopefully could buy them some time, but they didn't know how much. But that wasn't what was on Sakura's mind.

Kakashi noticed it. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura got a shock. They had been travelling for a long time, and Kakashi hadn't said a word since they started to move. She shook her head. "It's nothing, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi sighed and gave signal to stop. He turned around. "Sakura; you can't lie well enough. I can see something worries you. But I have a guess: You still think about that conversation we had with Itachi last night?"

Sakura nodded. Kakashi sighed. "Sakura, as I said: I don't expect you to forgive or trust me again. But I've…"

Sakura shook her head. "It isn't that, Kakashi-sensei. I was just thinking about how you can have some of the Nine-Tails chakra inside of you. How can that even be possible? Well, Sora had some of it injected into him, but I can't see when or how you should have done it to yourself. Or why, for that matter. Would you please tell me how, when and why?"

Kakashi looked at his student. He smiled a sad smile and sighed. "Sorry Sakura, but that will have to wait. It's a bit complicated to explain. But I promise you one thing: I will explain when the time is right."

Sakura smiled and nodded. Kakashi would usually keep his word. But Shikamaru got a concerned look in his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei; how far are we from Satur? When will we reach it?"

Kakashi frowned as he thought. When he spoke, he sounded exceptionally tired. "If we can keep this pace and still rest… about three or four days. If we could take the direct route I had planned, it would be two. But since this Zetsu is placed where he is, we have to take the long way round. And we have to do it in order to keep the element of surprise on our side. Is there any more questions?" When they shook their heads, Kakashi continued. "Let's go."

___

Sasuke woke up because he some dust and small rocks hit his head. He looked straight up in the ceiling. He soon realized that the walls and ceiling were shaking. That could only mean one thing. He sighed and a little tear started to form in his eye. "Sorry Naruto. I failed you… again."

___

The Leader thrust his palm into the ground. "Summoning jutsu!"

The statue rose from the ground and they took their places. The only ones who weren't physically present were The Leader, Itachi, Kisame and Zetsu. Blackrose stood in a corner and sulked.

But Shredkill stood on the right middle, Murdgaki on the left index, Devalan was placed on the left middle and Deidara on the right index. The projections of The Leader was on right thumb, Itachi on the right ring, Kisame's projection was to be found on top of the left ring and Zetsu's projection was on the right little.

They were all set and the extraction of the Nine-Tails began.

End chapter 9.


	11. Chapter 11: Chapter 10

Chapter 10: War and Peace. 

"ARG. The extraction seems to take forever! Furthermore, this extraction seems to require more chakra and concentration than usual, hmm."

The Leader glared at Deidara. "Shut up and concentrate on the jutsu! According to my brother, it takes three days and nights. We are almost done. Another 6 hours and it will be over."

Kisame's distorted laughter filled the room. "That sounds good. This brat has caused more than enough troubles for us. Or what do you think, Itachi-san?"

Itachi was silent for a minute before he answered "Yes. He has caused troubles. But hopefully it will be over soon."

But that wasn't true. He sincerely hoped that Kakashi would make it time. He doubted that Kakashi ever would forgive him if Kakashi even suspected him for not trying hard enough to delay the extraction. Only one thing had gone according to his plan. Nor he, Kisame, Zetsu nor The Leader would be able to join the fight when Kakashi arrived. And, ironically enough, it was The Leader himself that had ensured that.

The Leader was getting pissed. "Enough with the chitchat! Just concentrate on the jutsu already! Besides: The chakra barriers I created around aren't just there to prevent you from moving around as you like. They will also ensure you one day of rest after the extraction and they provide you with extra chakra while we extract the Nine-Tails. So stop your irrelevant chitchat right now, and just concentrate on the jutsu!"

They all nodded and closed their eyes in concentration. Itachi knew that he couldn't do anything to make the extraction drag on. If he did, The Leader would notice right away, due to those cursed barriers. And he couldn't contact Kakashi because of the barriers, as The Leader would notice that as well. Itachi knew this, because when they were introduced to those barriers, The Leader had felt that his chakra had been disturbed. That disturbance had been Itachi trying to contact Kakashi. Back then Itachi had suggested that the disturbance was because the jutsu had been unstable. The Leader had gotten so mad at Itachi, that he punished him for hours afterwards. But Itachi had convinced The Leader that his jutsu was unstable because it was the first time he used it. And The Leader had never mentioned it again. And Kakashi hadn't tried to contact Itachi afterwards.

The Leader was glad that his voice was distorted. Otherwise the other might have heard his unease.

Deidara was right about one thing. For some reason, this did require more chakra than Pain had told. The difference wouldn't mean much if the ones present was to fight when this extraction was done. Besides; he supplied the ones present with chakra through their rings, so they didn't lose more chakra than usual. But The Leader wasn't sure whether this difference was because of the seal on Naruto's forehead or it was because they were so close to the man who eliminated Pain, Konan, Kakuzu and Hidan.

-Flashback start-

It was raining. The place was in a deep ravine and a river ran just 2 metres away from him

"Not... cough…a chance… We… cough… never stood a chance… urg… cough… against him. His powers were… too great…"

The Leader knelt down beside Nagato's real body. He supported his brother's head and placed it in his lap. He wiped the blood away from his brother's mouth. His voice was barely a whisper. "Brother… Nagato… who did this? Tell me his name and I will revenge you!"

Nagato slowly turned his head towards his brother. A sad smile swept over his face and he spat up some blood. "Dear Sagato. My dear little brother. But… hark... don't… cough… be such… a fool. You're strong… cough… perhaps even stronger than me… but… against him… you will lose. The gap in strength and experience are too great. Even the combined forces of my six realms… cough… and Konan's, Kakuzu's and Hidan's abilities weren't enough."

Sagato locked Rinnegan eyes with Nagato. "I think I understand what pain is now. I just found you and now I'm losing you again. I will continue your way brother. I will show the world what pain is."

Nagato slowly raised his hand to stop his brother. "I don't have much time left. Before I die, I must tell you what happened and what to do. And when I'm done... cough... when night comes… you must flee this area. Take the rings with you. Lead the Akatsuki to its goal."

Sagato nodded. He didn't like it, but he had no choice. If Nagato really insisted to use his last breath telling him this, he had to listen. "I will do as you say brother."

Nagato smiled. "Excellent. I will tell you what… cough... happened."

(Editors note: Nagato coughs a lot during his narration. But I will write it as another flashback, without his coughing to make it more flowing. Remember you have to picture the old realms when mentioned.)

-Nagato's narration start.-

They were walking on the bottom of a deep ravine. The dark river was flowing violently towards the north, which was the direction they walked in.

Hidan cursed. "ARGH! Where the fuck are we?! This place stinks like a fucking dunghill! I hope that this dickhead you're talking about is worth this fucking stench!"

God Realm cursed under his breath. "Be quiet Hidan. This guy is more than worth the stench. If he joins our ranks, we will achieve our goals faster than you can even imagine. And you better be quiet. Otherwise this person will put an end to you."

Hidan merely shrugged. "Ah come on now. Let that dickhead try. And what if he refuses?"

God Realm looked at Konan. He could see that she was nervous. Even now, he still wondered whether it was smart to come here. After all, the person they were seeking had had his conflicts with Madara in the past. And Madara had told him to be careful around this person, since he wasn't likely to be pleased about getting his doors darkened by Madara's allies. "If he refuses, we will force him."

Hidan laughed. "That sounds good to me! That fucking cocksucker will regret he made me walk through this stench. Even Kakuzu's detours are pleasant compared to this."

Kakuzu sighed. "Moron. If you want to achieve something in your life, you need money and the will to get them. Even if means you have to endure unpleasant things. For example; I've to team up with an idiot."

Hidan was about to give Kakuzu an angry response, when God Realm held up his left hand. "We're here."

Hidan jaw dropped. They were standing in a huge valley in the ravine. The cliffs were towering on every side of them; in fact they was so tall that they couldn't see the top. And the light from the moon and the stars only barely reached down here. The only light that enabled them to see anything came from rows of torches on every rock wall; even in the river was there torches. The river flowed in a giant lake that had it shore about 2 metres away from a huge wall. The wall was about 450 metres away and was about 30 metres tall and it reached from rock wall to rock wall. About 400 metres. The only 'weak' point was a massive iron gate, placed in the middle of the wall. Behind the wall, they could see an enormous fortress made of black stones inside a huge cave. The only way to enter the cave was a 60-75 metres tall staircase, starting from the bottom of the opposite cliff. And as far they could see the entrance was blocked with another gate made of the same iron.

Konan gasped as she scanned the rock wall.

God Realm turned his head towards her. "What's wrong?"

When Konan spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Look… look at the gate. And then look at the rock wall."

God Realm narrowed his eyes. Then he realized. "I see. The castle isn't inside the cave. The cave is just the entrance. The rock wall itself _is _the castle. Or at least the outer wall."

The other Akatsuki members narrowed their eyes. God Realm was right. The gate filled the entire entrance. And on the rock wall they now saw something that could resemble windows. The last window they could see was to be located about 200 metres above the landing where the staircase ended.

Hidan whistled. "This must have taken fucking much hard work to build."

God Realm nodded. "The Village hidden in the Dark. Also known as Darkos. Let's go. We have an appointment I would hate to miss."

They reached the first iron gate. Now they noticed some weird inscription covering the entire wall and gate.

Hidan narrowed his eyes. "What the fuck is that gay-language? What the fuck does it say?"

God Realm narrowed his eyes as he read. "I don't know what it means. Anyway, we need to remove that gate. Kakuzu, you know what to do."

Kakuzu nodded. He hardened his right arm and thrust his fist into the gate.

BBBBAAAAANNNGGGG!!

The gate didn't budge an inch. Kakuzu frowned. "Impossible. My hand… it hurts. This isn't any ordinary gate. Hm? Can you hear it too?"

They all heard the sound of a cloak rustling in the wind. But they couldn't locate the sound. Then God Realm looked into the sky and smiled. "It seems we don't have to knock down the gate. It appears that we are about to be greeted by the landlord himself."

They all looked up, just as a person flew over the top of the wall. They all jumped backwards so that they stood on top of the water, just as the person landed in front of the gate, without making a sound.

They narrowed their eyes as they eyed the newcomer. He was about 1, 80 metres tall and his shoulder was broad. His skin was the same colour as a corpse. He looked like he was in his middle twenties. He had long black hair that was arranged similar to Neji's and Itachi's. His eyes were completely red, except for the pupils. They were merely vertical slits, but the black slits were completely visible against the red. He was wearing a long black cloak that reached the ground. His nails were something between black and blue.

God Realm nodded. "I see the rumours about you are true. Your appearance is just as scary as the legends say. You must be Dracula. Or perhaps you prefer The Night Lord. The other names you go by, I believe, are Lord of the Night, Lord of Darkness or The Dark Lord."

Dracula looked at the people before him. His voice was completely emotionless. "Impressive. You know that many of my names. Black cloaks with red skies imprinted on them… you must be members of Akatsuki. What do you want? Why did you come here?"

God Realm merely nodded. But before he could speak, Hidan cut in. "Enough with the small talk, you freaking shithead! Do you know what kind of stench we've walked through to get to this fucking dunghill?! And what the fuck does that freaking inscription means?! Do you know…"

Hidan trailed off when Dracula slowly shifted his gaze towards him. But his voice still lacked emotion. "How rude. You would do better if you didn't interrupt the grown-ups' talk."

God Realm looked sternly at Hidan. He had to admire Dracula. No one had ever made Hidan shut up by merely looking at him. He would have to be careful, unless he wanted a fight right away. He waited until Dracula turned his attention back to him. "I apology for Hidan's manners, or if you will, lack of manners, Lord Dracula. It wasn't his attention to insult you. However, I'm curious myself. What does that inscription means?"

Dracula took a quick glance at Hidan before returning to God Realm. "It's the slogan of my clan. It says: Death is Life."

Hidan mumbled something under his breath. Dracula glanced at him, before he continued. "But what do you want here? I believe you're the leader of this organization, am I right… Pain?"

God Realm frowned slightly. But he remained calm. "Correct. Allow me to introduce some of the members. The sole woman in the Akatsuki is…"

"Konan. The guy with the mask is Kakuzu. And the cursing idiot over there with the scythe is Hidan."

Konan was startled. Her voice clearly revealed that. "You… you know our names? But we haven't even…"

Dracula smiled a little. But the smile didn't show any emotions. "I just have to look at you. Your eyes reveal everything. So does your chakra. It's hard to keep secrets from me. But Pain; it's about time you tell me why you've come. I doubt that you came all the way here just to chat."

God Realm frowned even more. He looked at the other Realms. If Dracula could tell a person's name just by looking at him, then perhaps he could tell the person's powers too. Madara hadn't been kidding. Dracula was dangerous. He held his sigh and bowed. "We've come to make a request."

Dracula raised an eyebrow slightly. "And that request would be?"

God Realm glanced at Hidan, making sure he wouldn't do or say anything stupid. He then returned to Dracula. "We request of you that you join our ranks. We request that you join Akatsuki."

Dracula looked at each of the members. Then he gave a little snort. "Join Akatsuki? Wear clothes like that? I tend to decline your request." He chuckled slightly when he saw Hidan's confused expression. "To put it simple for the idiot over there: it means 'no'."

Hidan freaked out. (Editor's note: Like when he was fooled by Kakashi in the anime) "What the hell?!?! I'm going to kill you, you fucking asshole!! I will…"

Dracula stared at Hidan again, causing Hidan to fell silent. This time a hint of anger could be heard. "You didn't learn your lesson. When the grown-ups talk, the kids should keep quiet. One warning for you, Hidan: Keep using that language in my presence, and I will put that big mouth and head of yours up into your ass. And now I will warn all of you: Leave this place. You're not welcome here."

God Realm glared at Hidan. He would pay for this later. But right now they had other things to worry about. He looked at Dracula. "Lord Dracula. Perhaps you will reconsider. I ensure you this: If you join our ranks, we would bring peace to this world faster than even you can imagine. I only want to bring peace to the world"

Dracula tilted his head to the right, looking at the Akatsuki member and the six Realms very carefully. Then he laughed. They all tensed. God Realm spoke. "What's so funny?"

Dracula stopped laughing, but a trace of smile could still be seen on his face. When he locked eyes with them, it felt like the blood froze in their veins.

"I simply find it quite funny that you claim that you only want to bring peace to the world, when you're allied with guys who absolutely don't want peace. An idiot, who became 'immortal' through a religion my brother Jashin founded over 3500 years ago. Jashin died for the second time about 3400 years ago. I know that, because I was the one who killed him. But it appears that his rites survived. What a pain in the neck. I know that you will lose that immortality if you're prevented from performing the rituals that the religion demands. The guy with the mask, Kakuzu, has five hearts. One for each element. He is about 91 years old. The extra hearts are some he has ripped out of strong opponents' bodies. And by doing so, he expand his lifespan. You, Pain, or should I call you Nagato, posses the Rinnegan. The Eye-jutsu that allows you to utilize all six of the primary elements. I remember those eyes. The first wielder of the Rinnegan was a good student. But when he turned against me, he paid the prize. I admit that you are special though. To have six bodies under your control through those chakra receivers are quite impressive. And that they can use different powers are quite a feat too. Konan over there can turn herself into paper. Your skill and abilities are impressive. However… they won't be enough to defeat me."

They were all startled. This guy saw right through them; and with one glance he discovered their powers. Hidan was the first one to speak. "You got to be freaking kidding me! You can't kill Lord Jashin!! He is a god, you asshole! And you can't kill a god!"

Dracula let out a small sigh. "Idiot. Don't speak of things you don't know anything about. Jashin was a mere ninja. Although, I admit he was strong. He and I were the strongest within our clan. I killed him because I wanted to test my powers. I didn't care about his experiments that led to your religion. But it appears some fools found the notes and made it into a religion. There is so much you don't understand. Gods don't exist. And if they do, they won't help you. No matter how much you pray for their aid, they won't help."

God Realm could see that Konan was shocked. And her voice made it evident, as it trembled when she spoke. "You're wrong. Pain has advanced to be a god. You can't defeat him in battle. No one ever has and no one ever will."

Dracula slowly turned his head towards Konan. He narrowed his eyes. "Really now?"

God Realm frowned. "Your powers are disturbing. This won't be as easy as I hoped. But she is right. I'm a god. I've become a god through pain."

Dracula merely snorted. "You? A god? I don't think so. You still have so much to understand."

Pain was, little by little, getting pissed. But he hid it well "And what would that be?"

Dracula smiled. "As a god, you should be above human desires. But you aren't. A look at your organization, its members and its goal is enough for me to realize that."

Pain was real pissed now. But he was still able to hide it. "And what is that supposed to mean? I don't understand. I want to bring peace to the world."

Dracula shook his head. "Wrong. You don't want peace. But of course you don't understand. After all; you're only a human.

Pain couldn't hide his anger as God Realm glared at Dracula. And his voice had risen. "Then tell me: Are you a god? Are you above human desires? Make me understand."

Dracula chuckled before he went serious. "No, I'm not a god. But I don't desire the things most people do. I will try to keep this as simple as possible. The three things humans desire the most are money, power and immortality. If you want to bring peace to the world, you've to nullify those desires in every living person in the world. But you can't do that. You say that what you want and desire is to bring peace to the world. That isn't correct. What you truly desire is nothing more than power. Why else bother capturing the Bijuu?"

God Realm frowned. "What you say makes sense. However: It's necessary to capture the Bijuu in order to attain peace in the world."

Dracula shook his head. "But you still desire power. Therefore you are nothing more than a human. It doesn't matter whether you desire a thing as a mean or you desire it as a goal. Or that is the case with power. You want to obtain power, so that you can create a weapon that wipe out an entire country in an instant. And it's true that the world will feel common pain and the war will stop. But, as I'm sure you're aware, the pain will diminish as time passes. And soon you will have to use that weapon again. And again and again. And when you finally obtain the peace in the world you desire so badly, the entire world will have been destroyed. Is the peace really worth that? That is the first scenario."

God Realm frowned slightly. "And the second scenario?"

Dracula sighed. "The other scenario is just as bad. When people see what power that weapon has, they will want it for themselves. Sooner or later, you will be killed and the weapon will be stolen and the thief will utilize the weapon to his or her own gain. And then the new wielder will get killed or lose the weapon and the new wielder will do the same as the previous wielder. And so it continues. The point is, the result won't change. The world will be destroyed. You say that you became a god through pain. Then you should understand the pain of solitude. And believe me: you will feel lonely if you use that weapon in your quest for peace. Whether it will be scenario one or two, the result remains the same: Your quest for peace will lead to the destruction of the world."

God Realm got a really dark expression on his face. An expression that promised death. "Then how do you suggest that I bring peace to the world? By nullifying all humans' desires? It seems that it's the only option left."

Dracula merely nodded. "You're right. Heh. The only problem with that is that by doing so, is that humankind would cease to exist. And let me tell you why: It's the desire that pushes humans through their lives. It's what gives them the strength and drives them forward. If that desires disappears, a human wouldn't be able to survive. He needs the desire in order to attain his goal. If he can't obtain his goal, he won't have any purpose. And without a purpose… you've have no reason to exist. I don't expect you to understand this. After all… you are only human." He sighed. When he spoke, the murderous intent was evident. "Enough with the chitchat. Konan.: If you fight me, you will die. But it's up to you to decide what you do."

God Realm spoke before Konan could say anything. "She will fight. But she won't die. You will."

Dracula narrowed his eyes. "So be it." Before any of the Akatsuki or Realms could make a move, Dracula formed a series of hand seals. His speed was so fast that they only saw the last one. The bird-seal. "Water Element: Fivefold Water Dragon jutsu!"

Five dragons of water (like the ones Zabuza and Kakashi created) rose from the water and attacked. God Realm repelled the one going for him with his shinra tensei. And Hungry Ghost Realm absorbed the one coming at him. But the others had to jump out of the way. But before they hit the water again, Hungry Ghost Realm and Hell Realm disappeared.

God Realm narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What??!!"

CRRAAKK!!

They all tuned around so that they faced the rock wall from where they just came. On the wall was Dracula and two large holes on each side of him. Then with one swift move, Dracula pulled out Hungry Ghost Realm. He looked at the Realm before he tore it into two halves. Then he did the same with Hell Realm. A moment later, Dracula stood on the water in front of them. He chuckled. "Two down. No more absorbing my jutsu or reviving the fallen. And yes; your chakra reveals everything."

Pain couldn't believe it. All of the bodies could see each other; yet, Dracula had moved so fast that none of them had seen the incoming attack. And now two of his two bodies were out of play. Then he thought up a plan. He would make Animal Realm jump back and Human Realm attack.

God Realm shouted, trying to hide his disbelief of what he seen so far. "Kakuzu and Hidan: Do your things!"

Hidan jumped backwards so that he stood on the ground before the gate. He cut his hand and made the symbol on the ground with the blood. Then he looked at Dracula and smirked. "You're done for, you dickhead! Say goodbye, you worthless shithead! Let's go, Kakuzu!"

Kakuzu armoured his hands and arms as he charged. He and Dracula went into a fierce taijutsu fight, causing waves to rise every time they separated and met. Dracula deflected Kakuzu's right fist, spun around and delivered a kick to Kakuzu' chest, sending Kakuzu about 200 metres through the air. Kakuzu hit the rock wall and vanished from sight as he continued into the rock. Now they noticed another thing. Dracula didn't wear sandals. He wore black, light leather boots.

Dracula swiftly took a turn, grabbed Human Realm's left arm and tossed him into the other rock wall.

"Yahooo! Oy Shithead! You're mine!"

Dracula turned around, but too late. Hidan's scythe hit his left arm, ripped the sleeve apart, and draw some blood. Dracula cursed, caught the scythe before it was completely past him, twisted the robe around his left wrist and pulled. The force with which he pulled, came as a shock for Hidan. Hidan was lifted from the water, and dragged towards Dracula with incredible speed. As Hidan pulled out his stick, Dracula clenched his right hand. The punch hit Hidan square in the face, sending him flying towards the gate. Hidan hit the wall with a loud thump and slumped down. Dracula tossed the scythe into the wall, right beside Hidan's head.

"Summoning jutsu!"

Dracula looked up and smiled as he saw the gigantic bird dive down at him. He made a chain of seals. "Fire and Wind Element combo: Dragon Breath jutsu!"

One gigantic spurt of flame was blown towards the bird. The spurt of flame wasn't big to begin with, but once it passed out between Dracula's right index finger and thumb, it expanded until the end of it filled 40 metres in diameter. The bird had no chance of avoiding it and got hit while it was 50 metres away. Dracula smiled and narrowed the space between his fingers, and by doing so, increased the intensity of the flame. The bird disappeared with a loud "puff".

Dracula turned around and saw Human Realm reappear and out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Demon Realm was preparing for attack. He made another series of hand seals. "Lightning Element: Titan's Lightningbolt!"

The Akatsuki members' eyes widened as they saw the rotating sphere of lightning-natured chakra form in Dracula's right hand. But when they saw it, it was already too late. Dracula threw it at Demon Realm, who didn't have time to dodge. The jutsu hit Demon Realm right in the chest.

!!!!!!!!!!!

The shockwave, sound and light from the explosion was enormous. A pillar of electricity rose 100 metres up in the air, sending bolts of lightning in every direction, creating huge craters in every single rock wall. Almost. For some reason, the bolts never flew across the wall. God Realm dodged and repelled as many of the bolt as he could. Then he noticed. The pillar was just broad enough to envelop Demon Realm. Then he was swallowed by the 50 metres tall wave of water that the shockwave produced. He was hammered into the far end rock wall from the gate, and then dragged towards the gate again before he got up to the surface again.

When he got up, he saw that Dracula was fighting with Human Realm. Pain wondered how long God Realm had been underwater. God Realm looked towards the gate. He frowned. As he suspected, not even a drop had crossed the wall. He saw that Konan reappeared too. She was coughing up a lot of water. A rustling sound made him turn his head around. He saw Kakuzu come out from the rock wall, and he saw those masks loosen themselves. However; three of the masks shattered. Only Kakuzu and his water mask-creature remained. And Hidan was still unconscious. And it appeared that Animal Realm had been hit by some of those bolts, because only the head remained.

Dracula had engaged Human Realm in a violent taijutsu fight. They dodged, jumped, ducked, punched and kicked. Dracula grabbed Human Realms right arm by the wrist with his left hand and made a twist. Dracula's blow with his right palm hit Human Realm square in the chest. God Realm eye's widened as he saw that the inside of Human Realm was blown through Human Realm's back. That, and the fact that the entire backside of Human Realm was blown off too.

Dracula turned around to face Kakuzu. And now they saw an emotion. Murderous intent was visible in his eyes. He smiled.

"I've got to admit. You give me more exercise than I've had in a long time. Not since Madara Uchiha and his little brother Izuna tried to fight me, right after I helped them to obtain their Mangekyou Sharingans by making them drink a little of my blood, I've had a fight where I had to become just a little serious. Back then I didn't know that my blood would cause Madara to become one of the strongest sninobi ever known. Madara summoned the Nine-Tails. Poor fool. He didn't knew how to control it properly then. Furthermore, he didn't know that the Nine-Tails originated from me. About 3500 years ago, I was more cruel than I'm now. Normally, this cruelty is connected with my Bloodline limit. But the Bloodline limit's power in me was so strong that it threatened to tear me apart from the inside. I finally came up with a solution. But it took me five years to perform the jutsu the right way. During those five years, I killed one man, one woman and one child each night. It was necessary for me in order to survive. I needed their blood. I killed some of them because they simply were there. Even today, I don't regret what I did. Anyway, I got the jutsu right. I almost emptied myself for blood. The blood gathered in nine puddles. The largest of the puddles became the Nine-Tails. After that, there weren't any more problems with my Bloodline powers. Whoops, I think I got sidetracked there. The Nine-Tails wasn't exactly pleased to see me again, and frankly, I wasn't happy to see it either. Anyway, I was happy to have a fight with those three. I was forced to fight with almost everything I got; and I hadn't been forced to that since Jashin. When the Nine-Tails took the flight, Madara and Izuna realized that they couldn't win. And I let them flee; even though I could have killed them and the Nine-Tails, I still allowed them to run away."

God Realm looked at Dracula, with disbelief in his eyes. Then he snarled. "Perhaps you realize this: If you had killed Madara and the Nine-Tails back then, the Hidden Leaf Village wouldn't had been attacked and the Fourth Hokage would most likely still be alive. After all: Madara attempted to destroy the Leaf Village by using the Nine-Tails as a weapon. "

Dracula merely snorted. "I couldn't care less about the Leaf Village. Or the Fourth Hokage for that matter. What on earth made him, his wife and one of his students think that they could get away with stealing the scroll where 'Reanimation' and the 'Death Reaper Seal' jutsu and their use were instructed, is something that still remains a puzzle to me. I placed a curse-jutsu on that scroll, making sure that anyone who touch that scroll or read or use any of those jutsus will be punished. Severely. The Fourth Hokage died when he sealed the Nine-Tails into his own son, his wife was hit by a lethal disease of the blood. But for some reason, my curse won't reach that pest of a student, a boy called Kakashi Hatake. I think I will have to hunt him down myself. The Third Hokage died when he fought a boy called Orochimaru because he used that sealing jutsu. And Orochimaru was punished by losing his arms because he used 'Reanimation'. Tsk. He took the credit for inventing that jutsu, when it in reality was me who invented those two jutsus. And as far as I'm concerned, the Leaf Village has locked that scroll away."

God Realm frowned. But Konan had caught on to something. "Wait a second. You say that you're the origin of the Bijuu?! And that you killed your own brother for the second time?! Just who or what are you?! And just how old are you?!"

Dracula laughed. "You aren't stupid, little girl. Not stupid at all. But you ask unnecessary questions. I'm a ninja. How old am I? Hm. I think I was killed when I was between 26-25 years old. And that was about 3500 years ago. Frankly: I don't know how old I'm."

Konan was in shock. "But … what? You… was killed… over 3500 years ago? But… how can you be here then?"

Dracula chuckled. "That is my secret. The only thing you know to need is that I'm going to kill you all. But I guess it can't hurt to tell you this… my body don't decay."

Kakuzu suddenly spoke up. "Hate to tell you this, but that scroll wasn't stolen by the Fourth Hokage. You see, I've seen it. I saw the First Hokage carry that scroll. I fought him for it."

Dracula shook his head. "No, he didn't. What he carried was something that he wrote down from a dream. You see, I wanted to test him. I send him a dream, or nightmare, where he saw the death of his clan. Then I showed him that scroll; showed him how he could bring them back. He failed my test. Once he woke up, he wrote everything down. He and his younger brother only knew of 'Reanimation' because of a dream. And I still wonder _how_ Minato Namikaze, the guy who became the Fourth Hokage, his wife Kushina Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake got their hands on that scroll." He narrowed his eyes. "Enough talk. Time to end this. I guess I will show you some of my own jutsus. Jutsus that can only be used by my clan."

They all tensed. If he hadn't shown all of his powers yet then…

"Oy, shithead. Aren't you forgetting something? Or rather… someone?"

Dracula turned around. He saw that Hidan had regained consciousness and that he had licked some of his blood; because the colour of Hidan's skin had changed colour and so had his eyes. Dracula narrowed his eyes

Hidan laughed his insane laughter. "Now, die you worthless shithead! But first you gonna feel real pain. HAHAHAHA!"

Hidan pierced his manhood with the stick. Dracula fell down on the water. Hidan laughed "HAHAHAHA! That hurt…ouch.., right? Ouch… how.. aw… does… it feel… ouch… to know… aw.. that you… aww!... will die.. in.. ouch pa- WHAT THE FUCK?!!!"

Dracula was standing on the water, completely unaffected by Hidan's curse. Hidan couldn't believe what he saw. "WHAT?!... OUCH… HOW.. THE …AW.. FUCK… CAN YOU… STAND UP… AFTER THAT?! I PIERCED…MY DICK… THE PAIN… OUCCHH.. SHOULD HAVE… BEEN… AWWW… TRANSFERRED TO YOU…ARROUCH… TOO!"

Dracula chuckled. "As I told you earlier: My brother Jashin more or less founded that religion of yours. I know its strengths… and weakness. Look down, idiot."

Hidan looked down and he freaked out again. In stead of the symbol he had drawn, he now stared down at a smiling smiley. On its forehead was written: When you see this, you're in trouble… IDIOT!

Hidan looked up. Dracula had disappeared! Hidan cursed. "Where…ouch… did that… dickhead.. awww… go?! AND WHERE… OUCH… DID THAT… SMILEY COME… FROM.?!"

"Behind you… idiot."

Hidan spun around, just to come face to face with Dracula. Dracula had taken a stance and was ready for attack.

(Editors note: The stance resembles that of Neji's 'Gentle Fist: 8 Trigrams, 64 Palms. Except that Dracula has his index fingers, middle and ring fingers stretched."

Dracula smirked. "I don't need to use any hand seals to perform a jutsu. My chakra is enough. And now I will show one of mine jutsus. Demon Fist: 9 Trigrams, 251 Palms!"

Hidan was defenceless as the strikes hit him. "… 251!"

The last blow hit Hidan right where the heart is. He flew backwards. Pain's, Konan's and Kakuzu's eyes widened. Blood was pouring out of 20 points on Hidan's body with explosive force.

Hidan hit the ground, coughing up blood. His eyes widened when Dracula suddenly stood in front of him, glaring down at him. It was evident in Hidan's eyes that he knew this might be the end. "What… was… that? I've never… felt or heard of anything like this before."

Dracula send him an icy glare. "Simply put: With this attack, I block your circulation of blood wherever I hit. But on the same time, I heighten it. The 251st blow opens some of the blockades. The pressure in your veins will at that time be so high that the blood will find the nearest exit. In other words: There where the blockades are removed. In order to lessen the pressure, the blood will seek out the weakest points; those points are the places on your skin where I hit you. The last blow removes or at least loosens up 20 blocked points and the blood will, no matter what, find those spots and break through them. I thought something similar to the Hyuuga clan. But they attack your chakra points, not your circulation of blood." Dracula smiled. "By the way… do you remember my warning? I warned you about what would happen if you used that language in my presence. Well, you used that language… so you should know what is going to happen now."

Hidan's eyes widened. "SHIT! Don't you dare.. you… you…"

"Enough." Dracula pulled Hidan to his feet by the collar of his cloak and with one swift edge-of-hand blow, he chopped off Hidan's head. Dracula picked up Hidan's head with his right hand, while he held the rest of the body in his left. "Now… Goodbye, you worthless shithead."

"Don't d..mmmfflflfl!!!!"

Hidan's voice disappeared as Dracula, quite literally, shoved Hidan's head up into Hidan's ass. When Dracula saw the disbelief in his remaining opponents' eyes, he chuckled. "Don't worry. I used my chakra to manipulate some of his molecules. He didn't feel more pain than he had too."

"That's…mmmfl.. not…mmfflll true. Here… fucking stinks!"

Dracula sighed. "Seriously, doesn't this idiot ever shut up? Ahh, I got an idea." Dracula laid Hidan's body on the ground, and stomped on Hidan's stomach. One minute of silence. Then..

"HOLY SHIT! EWWW! I'm fuck…ing… eat…ing my.. own crap… here! It's… fucking…. disgusting!"

Dracula sighed again. "Seriously, what do I have to do to make this idiot shut up? Oh well. Doesn't matter. Kakuzu; you're next."

Kakuzu prepared for the attack. But he wasn't prepared for Dracula's next move. Red rays were fired from Dracula's eyes, destroying the remaining creature in an instant. The next thing Kakuzu knew, was that his chest had been pierced by Dracula's right hand. Dracula's hand was sticking out of Kakuzu's chest, clutching his heart.

Kakuzu was in shock. "Too fast… how can you move so fast?"

Dracula merely chuckled. "Skill. And: those who are dead are above the rules of the living. That's all you need to know. Unfortunately for you… that only apply for the people in my clan."

There was a flash of green flames, and Kakuzu fell dead to the ground. Dracula stared at Konan with a hungry glimpse in his eyes, his right hand surrounded with green flames. "I look forward to taste the blood of you and your child, Konan. And I will taste it. But before that…" He turned his gaze at God Realm. "I need to take care of this troublesome one. Pain; I will show you why the Vampire clan from Darkos has been feared since ancient times. Let's fight!"

God Realm raised both of his hands and tried to use his jutsu to repel Dracula as he came at him. The force of the jutsu and Dracula's speed created a shockwave that made a huge wave arise. Then God Realm noticed. Not once since this battle started, had the fire burning in the torches went out. But he had to concentrate in order to keep Dracula at bay. At last God Realm succeeded in blasting Dracula away, into the nearest cliff wall.

God Realm turned towards Konan. "Konan, run away! You must inform Madara of what happened here! I will keep him here, but I don't know how much longer I can do it. Konan: We can't win this fight. He is too strong."

Konan nodded and made some wings made of paper. "Good luck… Nagato."

"You can wish him all that good you will… it won't help him. I'm going to kill him. And it won't help that you inform Madara. As we speak, he is on his way to meet his doom."

God Realm cursed as he watched Dracula reappear. "Konan, move it!"

Konan took off as God Realm used his jutsu to drag Dracula towards him. He pulled out a rod. Then, without warning, Dracula spun around in midair and delivered a kick to God Realm's head. God Realm flew through air until he hit the other rock wall.

"Death Element: Cage of Cerberus."

A sphere of green flames surrounded God Realm in an instant. Both above and, as Pain soon realized under the water. He watched as Dracula took off into the sky and grabbed Konan around the neck. He landed in front of the cage; he held Konan in a firm grasp in his left hand. She was gasping for air.

Dracula looked at her. "It's futile to fight against. My chakra prevents you from transforming into paper. So don't even try it."

He turned his attention to God Realm.

"And Pain; don't try to use your jutsu inside that cage. The flames will react on their own. But I must admit; you are strong. Those jutsus to repel and drag an opponent is quite impressive and useful. I know that you haven't used your jutsu called 'Chibaku Tensei'. However: Your jutsus' powers rely on the law of gravitation. They are quite effective under normal circumstances and against normal enemies. But against me, who can manipulate gravity, it is useless. By emitting chakra from my body, I can change gravity in diameter on about 2 metres. That enables me to hover in midair. And then, by releasing chakra from another point of my body, I can move. That's how I nullified your jutsu. I simply suspended gravity around me. In theory, you should be able to fly too. You have the required amount of chakra. But you can't fly unless you have excellent control over your chakra. The control required for Medical-ninjutsu is peace of cake compared to the control that is required if you ever are to fly. But now… It's Konan's turn."

Konan's eyes widened in fear. And with good reason. Dracula opened his mouth and his eye-teeth grew into fangs. A moment later, Konan screamed out in pain as Dracula's teeth pierced her skin near the throat. He drank and drank of her blood, until he had drained about half of her blood. A steady flow of green chakra started to flow from his hand, enveloping Konan. Pain soon realized that Dracula was keeping her alive.

Dracula looked at Konan. He saw the despair in her eyes. "You chose to stay. I've never shown mercy before, so why should I start now? When I killed all those men, women and children, I did it partly because I wanted to survive back then. You see, back then, blood was necessary me in order to survive and maintain my power. When I didn't kill them for fun or because they simply were there, I killed them for those reasons. Men for strength; women because their blood is sweeter than men. The children were merely a sweet. Now… if you would excuse me."

Konan screamed again, as Dracula increased the flow of green chakra to keep her alive. He sighed in pleasure. "Time for the last of your blood."

He bit her near the throat again and sucked out the blood; to the very last drop. Dracula tossed Konan's body away and turned to face God Realm.

God Realm's voice was filled with anger. "You monster. Other Akatsuki will come. Akatsuki will accomplish its goal. And when that happens… you will die."

Dracula shrugged. "I've nothing more to say to you. I will tell answer you face to face. Goodbye, God Realm."

Green flames consumed God Realm as the last syllable was spoken, leaving only the ring left and unharmed.

-End Nagato's narration-

"Dracula appeared in front of me one minute later. This is what he said to me. 'If it's a war Akatsuki want, it's a war they shall get.' He snapped his finger and those four rings appeared in a glimpse of flames. He said that Akatsuki …hark… needed a new leader and the balance of power needed to kept. He also… hark… said… that he was going.. cough cough… to hunt down… this Kakashi Hatake. Then… he broke… cough… every single bone in my body and tossed me down here. Every vein and organ in my body have been damaged beyond repair. Sagato… hark.. you must lead the Akatsuki. Goodbye.. hark… my brother."

Pain died in his brother lap. Sagato closed his brother's eyes. "Rest in peace… Nagato. I will make your dreams come true. And I will revenge you." He picked up the rings from the ground. "And I already know who the new members shall be." Then he burned Nagato's body with a fire jutsu and left.

-Flashback end-

Sagato was pulled out of his pondering by Zetsu's distorted voice. "Enemies are approaching. They will reach the bridge within 30 hours. And they are fairly powerful. If we meet them at the bridge, it will be hard to escape this place. What do we do?"

The Leader looked at Zetsu. "Who are the enemies? And how powerful?"

"Two of them are Legendary Sannin; Jiraiya and the current Hokage, Tsunade. Some of the others are Asuma Sarutobi, Maito Gai and Kurenai Yuuhi. They are accompanied by a bunch of chuunin."

Kisame chuckled. "That beast again, eh? How delightful. I still need to settle the score with him and those annoying brats."

Sagato addressed Itachi. "Are there other routes that we can take?"

"We can follow the other passage. It will lead us to the Earth country. However; I don't know where The Night Lord has placed traps if we follow that road. The traps that we set off on our way here were only minor ones. Taking that road would be more than reckless. Zetsu; you didn't sense or see other enemies, did you?"

"No. The group mentioned are the only one."

Itachi closed his eyes and nodded. He was glad. Kakashi had slipped past Zetsu without being noticed. But he knew it would be a close call for Kakashi to make it in time.

The Leader was furious. Nothing seemed to go the way he wanted it. "Fine. We give them a delay. I won't take any chances. Itachi, Kisame, Murdgaki, Devalan and Shredkill: I'm going to need 35% of your chakra for the jutsu. You will have time to rest and restore your chakra inside my barrier. And I will restore your chakra with my own as soon as the jutsu end. So in case you have to fight before we assumed, you will be at full power."

Devalan laughed. "Sounds good to me."

Sagato closed his eyes and made some hand seals before he resumed concentrating on the extraction. "Get ready."

Naruto had heard it all. And in his mind, he knew that he was beyond help. But one thought was clear in his mind. "Pervy-sage… Grandma Tsunade… all of you… be careful."

___

BAAAANNNG!!

"ARRGRGGR! OOOWWWwww…."

"Incoming! Watch out!!"

BAAANGG!

Screams could be heard all over the village. Wounded ninjas and civilians were brought to the hospital every minute.

---

"Temari, you can't do anymore for them! They are gone! Leave them!"

"I can't leave them Kankurou! They're only kids!"

Kankurou jumped to Temari's side. "Temari, listen! Those 'grenades' or what the hell they are called aren't something to joke with! If you're nearby one of those when it explodes, you are as good as dead! I don't know how Root got their hands on them! But I know that I don't want to lose my sister! Gaara would most likely kill me if he heard that I could have prevented your death but didn't! Now, move it!"

Kankurou dragged Temari with him by the arm. Temari looked back at the three small bodies. They were a mess. Then she looked at their faces. Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi eyes looked lifelessly into the sky.

___

They all felt the shockwave. Kiba's nose twitched and his eyes widened in shock. Five scents had appeared out of nowhere. And they were close. "Everyone, stop!"

They all stopped. Tsunade tensed. "What's wrong, Kiba?"

Kiba took out a kunai. "Five scents appeared out of nowhere. Furthermore: One of those scents is identical to one of the scents that I picked up where Kakashi-sensei fought. I think we found them. I think we soon have to face Akatsuki in battle."

Tsunade nodded. "Let's go."

They reached a huge clearing. And they came to a sudden halt. Five persons stood in the middle of the clearing stood five persons in black cloaks with red skies imprinted on them. Jiraiya frowned. He recognized Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. But he didn't know the others.

One of them was as huge as Kisame, perhaps bigger. His skin was more red than blood and his white eyes emitted more murderous intent than Itachi's and Orochimaru's ever had. His teeth were just as sharp as Kisame's. He was wearing a large scythe on his back; the blade was blood-red and with a strange glow. But what Jiraiya noticed the most was the horns on his head. White horns were pointing 30-40 inches right into the air and he had long black hair between the horns.

One of the others was clad in grey armour; although it was only something he assumed, since they only could see his helmet, hands and feet. On his gloves were 4 razor sharp claws made of steel, two on each glove. The claws started from the wrist and they ended about 16 inches from the tip of his middle fingers. Two red eyes without pupils stared at them from two holes in the mask.

The last one looked like a kid. He had brown eyes and tan skin. His hair was green with a trace of red in it. He was a little smaller than Itachi and he had an ear ring made of gold. His headband declared that he was a former ninja from the Rock Village. He smiled a blinding white smile, promising death to his opponent.

Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and the others. He saw that they had assumed the same about their opponents. He turned his head towards the Akatsuki members. He frowned again. Did they really have to fight five of them? This wasn't something he had expected.

Coolio stepped backwards. But before he did, he gently nipped Tsunade's left ankle. She looked down. "What is it?"

Coolio ventured a quick glance at the Akatsuki members before he answered, making sure the Akatsuki members couldn't hear him. "According to Pakkun, it was Itachi Uchiha, the freak with the Sharingan, who caught the blond pup. He broke Naruto's shin. Just thought I should let you know."

Tsunade nodded. "Thanks Coolio. Now, step back while we deal with those guys." She turned her stare at the Akatsuki and narrowed her eyes dangerously. When she spoke, everybody in the clearing could hear her anger. "You can fight any Akatsuki member you want. Except for Itachi Uchiha. He is mine, and mine alone."

They all tensed. They were ready. The battle could begin.

End chapter 10


	12. Chapter 12: Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Fatal Battle: Leaf vs. Akatsuki!

Dracula was walking down the streets in the Leaf Village, a hood pulled over his head. Wherever he looked, he saw the bodies of men, women and children. Blood and limbs everywhere. He sighed. "War is always the same. The only thing that ever changes is the weapons used in it. I wonder if Hatake is still alive. But this is definitely the right village."

"Help me! Please help me!"

Dracula turned around. He narrowed his eyes. A girl, not more than 12-13 years old, was being chased by five masked men in cloaks. They had their short swords ready for attack. They all came to a sudden halt when the girl reached Dracula.

The girl tumbled and fell in front of Dracula. She looked up. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Help me, please."

Dracula looked down. The girl didn't seem scared of the strange colour of the skin; nor of his eyes. She had spiky black hair and brown-black eyes. She was a bit skinny. Underneath her t-shirt was something that reminded him of fishing net, but in reality it was more like a thin shirt. She wore a headband. Apparently, she had graduated from this village's academy this year. He looked at the five men. His voice held a cold edge in it. "Five against one isn't what people would call fair, is it? Leave this girl alone. That or your opponent will be me. It's your choice."

"Take a hike, stranger. Or you will die."

Dracula sighed. "So be it. Wind Element: Black Nightmare Tornado jutsu."

The Root members didn't get any warning. A mini tornado appeared out of nowhere, sucking up the Root members before tossing them far away in every direction. They were dead before they hit the ground. But Dracula had tossed the bodies far away for a reason. He didn't think that the girl needed to find out that the tornado had skinned the members alive, before flesh and muscles were ripped off. So in reality it was only their skeletons that hit the ground.

The girl couldn't believe what she just had seen. She hadn't seen this stranger raise his hands to perform a single hand seal. She stared up in Dracula's face, her voice trembling with awe. "Wow Mister. How did you do that? That was amazing! Who are you?"

Dracula looked at the girl for moment. Then he reached down for her. "My name is Dracula. Dracula Vampire. What I did and how I did it; that's my secret. But tell me little girl: What's your name?"

The girl looked at Dracula, a puzzled glimpse in her eyes. "Dracula? Never heard of you. The only thing I know about your name, is that there have been made numerous movies with that title. My name is Shikala. Shikala Nara. My big brother, Shikamaru Nara, isn't here. I miss him so much."

Shikala started to sob. Dracula couldn't believe what Shikala had just told him. Nor did he believe what he had seen. She hadn't heard of him; and apparently wasn't scared of him. She wasn't scared of him, the most powerful and feared ninja in history; she wasn't scared of him who had killed countless innocent men, women and children without batting en eye. He liked this confusion he was feeling. It made him believe that even he could be cherished or perhaps even loved by someone. He wanted to protect this kid. He made up his mind. "Shikala Nara; perhaps you can help me. I'm looking for a boy. Or rather a man. His name is Kakashi Hatake. Do you know where he is?"

Shikala's answer could be heard between her sobs. "Kakashi-san? He isn't… here…either. I think… Shikamaru… left with… Kakashi-san… on some mission. They went to save… a friend of Kakashi-san and Shikamaru. But… I don't know where they went though. I'm sorry."

Dracula frowned slightly. Not because he was angry with her. He was surprised. Perhaps that was the reason why Kakashi hadn't fell victim to his curse. He was willing to risk his life for a friend. But he doubted that was the reason. Others would have done the same. He would have to find out more. "Shikala Nara; come with me. We will find your brother. This place isn't safe. Someone has used a very powerful genjutsu on at least one leader here. I won't mingle in this conflict. And while we travel, perhaps you can tell me what you know about Kakashi Hatake. And I will teach you some jutsus on the way. And then you can teach them to your brother. Deal?"

Shikala lit up in smile and she stopped sobbing. "Really? You will help me finding my brother? And teach me some new jutsus?"

Dracula smiled. "I take that as yes. Yes, I will help you and teach you some new jutsus." He chuckled and lifted her from the ground. He placed her on his back. "Now: you better hang on tight. Are you ready?"

"Ready."

Dracula made sure she was holding on tight. Then, he took off and soared into the sky with 200 mph. The sun had set, so he didn't had to fear its, to him, deadly rays.

___

"Kakashi-sensei. Where are we? When will we reach Satur?"

Kakashi thought for a moment before answering Sakura's question. "If all goes well: We should reach Satur within 7-8 hours. But you guys will take a different route. But first, we need to find a well in this mess. Look for a well with a snake that bites its own tale. But there are three wells in this town. Or ruins. Neji, can you find that well with your Byakugan?"

"I'm looking for it right now, Kakashi-san. But there is a lot of rubble. A snake that bites its own tall… a snake… found it! 75 metres up ahead, then to the right."

Kakashi nodded. "Well done. Let's go. We have to hurry, because I think it will be covered in rubbles. This village was raided over twenty years ago. As you can see, it has never been rebuilt."

He was quite right. The only thing that revealed that there used to be a small village here, were the rubbles and the foundations of about 50 houses.

It took them five minutes to reach the well and clear it. It was circular, about two metres in diameter and about 50 centimetres tall. Or the remnants of it had those measurements.

Shikamaru looked down into the darkness. He frowned slightly. "Kakashi-sensei; just why do you want us down there? Couldn't we just use that bridge you told us about on the way here?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, you can't use the bridge. One: That guy, Zetsu, is more than likely to notice you. Two: You don't know the area as well as I does. There are a lot of traps on the way to Satur. What you see before you, is the exit of a tunnel; it was used to evacuate Satur's civilians in case the castle was likely to be overrun. This tunnel will take you straight to the court-yard. Wait for me there."

Sakura frowned. She was concerned. "You aren't coming with us, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm afraid that will be case, Sakura. Don't worry; you can't get lost in that tunnel. I've some things I need to take care of. And I would prefer doing it alone."

Neji had a bad feeling. "And what would that be?"

Kakashi smiled a mischievous smile. "Well, I'm going to..." He fell silent as barking reached his ears. His smile grew wider. "Ah. It seems we will have three surprises ready for Akatsuki. The first one is us still being alive. The other is on his way with full speed. And I'm going to prepare the last one now." When he saw the doubt in their eyes he chuckled. "Don't worry, I will be fine. Oh, that reminds me…" He pulled out a little syringe from one of the pockets in his vest. "Here, take this."

Sakura looked suspicious at the syringe. It contained something glittering. "Kakashi-sensei, what is this?"

Kakashi sighed. He sounded tired. He had barely slept the last two days. Not because he wasn't tired; he was tired like hell. But he was haunted by nightmares about how he had found his father, dead on the floor in a pool of blood. The sword had stuck out through his father's back; his father was already cold and his hands clutched the hilt. Kakashi had been 5 years old when his father committed suicide. And he had a nagging feeling that his past soon would catch up with him. "It's something that will postpone your funeral." When he noticed the confused look in Sakura's green eyes, he realized she didn't understand. "It's an extract of my chakra. Since I've some of the Nine-Tails chakra, I have gotten a tremendous reserve of chakra. As long as I don't use up all of the Nine-Tails' chakra, my body is able to replenish it. Since it's the Nine-Tails' chakra, I get some of the same benefits as Naruto. For example a fast recovery. Unfortunately, it won't give me a new eye. But be careful. Too much of this chakra, and even the dead would be put aflame. You saw what happened to that kid, Sora. Therefore: Use it only as the absolute last resort."

They all nodded and Sakura put it into her bag. Neji frowned slightly. He had noticed something weird about that chakra. Aside from the ordinary blue that he knew that had to be Kakashi's, he had also seen the red chakra. He knew it had to be the Nine-Tails, because he remembered it from his fight against Naruto. But what really made him frown were two other colours. One of them was white. The other was either very dark-green or black. He had to ask. "Kakashi-san; what are those two chakras? The blue is ordinary chakra and the red is the Nine-Tails. But what about the white one?"

Apparently the others had noticed the white one too. Kakashi looked at Neji. In his inside he was quite amused. They weren't stupid or weren't paying attention. He liked that. He liked that very much. "The white chakra is a trademark for my clan, the Hatake clan. My clan used to make some blades that reacted to our chakra alone. When we used such a blade, a white, unstoppable chakra blade would appear. My clan was rumoured to be the most feared and best swordsmen because of that. I inherited such a blade from my father, The Leaf's White Fang. I haven't used it in years. My clan originated from the Lightning country, but the clan was almost destroyed in a civil war. My grandfather immigrated with his pregnant wife, Sakura Hatake, to the Fire country about the same time the Third Hokage took the job."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "What?! Sakura…. Hatake?"

Kakashi laughed before he grew serious. "Oh, you didn't know? My grandmother took care of your parents when their parents were at work. You're named after my grandmother. It wasn't a coincidence that you were placed on my team. Your mother asked me to take you on my team. Nor was it coincidences that Sasuke and Naruto were placed on my team. Itachi requested the Third to try making it that way. And Naruto's father and mother made me promise that I would look after Naruto in case that something happened to them or they died before time. That your test scores turned out like they did… that was a coincidence."

Sakura had never heard that story before. But that wasn't what roused her curiosity the most. "Kakashi-sensei: Who were Naruto's father and mother?"

Kakashi chuckled slightly. "That Sakura… is something I won't tell you. I want to tell Naruto first. And then it's up to Naruto to decide whether he wants to tell you or not. But I will tell you this: Master Jiraiya and I were appointed to be Naruto's guardians before he was even born. His mother and father died the same year he was born. Master Jiraiya and I agreed that it would be better for him to grow up at the orphanage under his mother's maiden name, Uzumaki, due to the many enemies that his father, Master Jiraiya and I had, and for that matter, still have. And we both made so much distance as we could to him, all in order to ensure his safety. Of course now I realize that it was, most likely, my entire life's biggest mistake. And I'm afraid that there have been quite a few of them."

Sakura nodded. This was the sensei she knew and cherished so much. He cared for others, putting their wellbeing before his own. But she also realized that Kakashi had many secrets and that she hadn't even scratched the surface. She wanted to know them all, as soon as possible. But she knew it couldn't be before they returned to the village.

Neji on the other hand, still had a question he wanted answered. "And the green or black chakra? What kind of chakra is that?"

Kakashi was puzzled. "Eh? What chakra? What colour did you say it was?"

"Very dark-green or black."

Kakashi scratched his neck. "Sorry Neji-kun, but I've absolutely no idea of what you're talking about. And that's the truth."

Neji was getting annoyed. "See it for yourself. Sakura, would you please show it to him?"

Sakura nodded and took it out of her bag. But they simply couldn't see the fourth colour chakra.

Neji frowned. "What? Where did that chakra go?"

Kakashi was just as puzzled as they were. But since he had no idea of what they were talking about, he merely shrugged. "Perhaps you only saw a reflection from one of the trees. And you're tired. Perhaps it was just something you imagined?"

Neji looked like he was about to say something, but he hold it back. This wasn't the times to argue. He merely shrugged.

Kakashi sighed. They had already wasted more than enough time. "You should get moving." They nodded and started to crawl down a ladder they had missed the first time they looked. When Shikamaru disappeared down into the darkness and he heard them start to move with a fast pace, Kakashi sighed. "Kakashi Hatake, you're slipping. You almost let one of the greatest secrets slip past your lips." He patted two of his vest pockets. The ring was still there. And… he let out a huge sigh of relief. The note containing another one of his secrets was still there. He wondered when or rather if, he ever would get the chance to give it to Itachi. After all; it contained a truth that he had kept secret for Itachi since Itachi joined the ANBU. The main reasons why he had assisted Itachi in wiping out the Uchiha clan.

___

"Except for Itachi Uchiha. He is mine, and mine alone."

Itachi tensed. "So you're going to fight me, Lady Tsunade? Perhaps you should reconsider this. If you fight us, it will have consequences."

Tsunade knew he was right. However: The other Akatsuki members weren't likely to just let them retreat. So… if it was fight Akatsuki wanted it was a fight they should get. "Enough talk. Gai: You and your team will deal with the oversized fish. I want sushi for supper. Kurenai; you will deal with the brat with the weird haircut. Asuma: you will handle the scrapheap and Jiraiya: You will fight the ugly-looking person with the horns. Itachi Uchiha is mine."

They nodded and moved. The Akatsuki members weren't slow to launch their counterattack; soon the clearing echoed with the sound of metal against metal.

Itachi was startled. Tsunade moved with such speed he wouldn't have thought possible. All he could was dodging and duck her incoming fists and kicks. Suddenly, he felt a tree right behind him.

His eyes widened. "Damn it!"

He barely managed to duck Tsunade's incoming right fist that hit the tree; the tree was cut down by her punch. She glared at him. "I'm not done yet, boy!"

Itachi cursed and formed some hand seals. "Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

Tsunade cursed and jumped over the fireball. She aimed a kick at Itachi as she landed. Her kick made the ground crack; Itachi barely managed to get out of the way. She chuckled. "Oh, come on now. You don't have to hold back just because I'm older than you. It would be easier that way, but it wouldn't be as fun as if you fought back. So come on Itachi. Let's get serious!"

But before she could resume her attack, a snarl was heard. "Water Element: Explosive Water Shock Wave!"

Tsunade turned around and saw the huge wave rise with Kisame on top of it, just before the water started coming down on them. Kisame laughed. "This is almost just like last time, isn't it?"

Gai frowned. "I know… I've experienced something like this before. But I can't remember where or when. But… that huge sword is your weapon, isn't it?"

Kisame looked like he wanted to kill somebody. It was most likely Gai. "I swear, you're really good at rubbing people the wrong way. And those brats are just as annoying as last time. How bothersome. Well, I guess I will have to take my time playing with you… again."

"Rising Gale!"

"What?!"

Lee appeared from the water, kicking away Samehada in the same way he did it before. Kisame had to fall back if he wanted his sword back. And just as before, Tenten send a ball spiked with kunais at him. He blocked it with sword and dived into the water as the ball exploded, sending kunais in every direction.

Tenten cursed. "Damn it. He got away… just like last time!"

"Oy brat! You aren't the only one who can use that kind of tricks! Here, catch!"

Shredkill threw something that had the same form as a little pineapple. Tenten managed to see it was made of metal and had some square markings on it. She reached out to catch it and…

BOUUM!

The thing exploded in midair. Blood everywhere. Tenten opened her eyes. Instantly they widened. She was staring into Lee's empty eyes. Slowly she got up, carefully placing Lee on a large stone, face up. When she removed her hands from Lee's back, they were covered in blood. She slowly and gently turned Lee around so that she could see his back. She gasped and paled. His entire back was filled with bleeding wounds. She narrowed her eyes. She could see metal splinters embedded into his flesh and muscles.

Tenten narrowed her eyes at Shredkill. "What… was that thing?"

Shredkill chuckled and chakra started to gather in his palm. When it had the same form as small pineapple, metal started to envelop it. "It's jutsu I've created myself. I call those grenades. The funny thing is that with a little extract of my chakra and the right equipment, those things can be reproduced. Of course the replicas won't be as effective as the ones I produce. And that one was only a small one. But don't worry… you will soon share the same fate as your boyfriend."

Tenten glared at Shredkill, a killing intent in her eyes. "Lee wasn't my boyfriend. My boyfriend is Neji Hyuuga. And he is gonna kick your ass when he hears about this."

Devalan smirked at her words. "I doubt that. You see, Itachi over there killed him and the others a couple of days ago. And… urrrgggghhhh!!"

Tsunade's fist hit him right in the stomach, sending him through a couple of trees. She ran to Tenten's side. Once she got there, she knelt down and examined Lee. She called out. "Jiraiya, can you handle that pest to Itachi and the one I just hit?! He isn't done yet!"

Jiraiya nodded and sprinted towards Itachi. Itachi had anticipated this turn of event and knew that he would have to fight back if the others weren't to find out about his treason. He made a new series of hand seals. "Fire Element: Mythical Firebird jutsu!"

Jiraiya dodged them with ease and fired a fireball towards Itachi. Itachi dodged and smiled. Hopefully, this would be enough.

---

Kisame frowned. Even if this was just a more advanced version of the 'Shape shifting jutsu' Pain used to use, something wasn't right. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he had a feeling that Itachi was holding back. But that didn't make any sense, because with this jutsu they had more chakra than usually and the chakra was conserved better too. That had also been his thought when they had encountered Jiraiya the last time. But then again: Jiraiya wasn't an easy opponent. He was one of the Legendary Sannin after all. Kisame chuckled as he turned to face Gai again. "Two down. How are you and that girl planning to fight me now?"

"Like this, you ugly fish. Ninja art: Rising Twin Dragons!"

Kisame looked up and saw Tenten between two soaring and rotating scrolls. He narrowed his eyes. "What is that?"

Tenten smirked. "You will find out soon enough. Here… you and the scrapheap can eat this!"

Kisame's eyes widened as a barrage of different weapons was thrown in his direction. He had to dodge; he cursed under his breath. This was getting more troublesome than he thought it would be.

Shredkill merely laughed when he saw Kisame jumping back and forth. "Kisame, what on earth are you doing? This is a fight, not a ballet tournament!"

Kisame merely snarled his response. "I would worry about myself if I were you!"

Shredkill narrowed his eyes. "What? What are you talking a…"

He turned around and saw a massive amount of chakra emitting from Gai. Gai had turned red and veins were bulging out everywhere. Shredkill formed three hand seals and a sphere of chakra formed between his hands. "Chakra Missile!"

The ball of concentrated chakra was fired with great speed at Gai

Gai avoided it with ease, considering that he opened six of the gates. The missile hit where Gai had been seconds earlier, creating a huge explosion; the crater it formed was about 20 metres in diameter, and the water started to sink.

Shredkill jumped into the air. Big mistake. Gai appeared out of nowhere. Shredkill lashed at him, but missed. He cursed "Too fast!"

"Morning Peacock!"

Gai's series blow hit Shredkill directly and Shredkill was hammered hard into the ground below the water. The water started to sink faster. The Akatsuki regrouped.

Devalan chuckled. "Whoops. Two of them down and one of us. What do you think? The white-haired man, the woman who fights Itachi and the grown-ups are a bit tough. But the kids… not that much of a big deal."

Tsunade looked around. Gai was panting due to his latest attack, Kurenai panted a bit too and had stains of blood covering her face and clothes. Asuma had some few bruises but was otherwise unharmed. Ino was trying to fix Lee, Tenten panted heavily, Shino was unharmed and looked a bit bored. Kiba had some nasty looking cuts on his arms and one his left cheek. Tenten looked like she was ready to continue the fight. But Chouji was down with a very deep bleeding cut across the chest. Tsunade frowned and started to give orders. "Ino! Tend to Chouji! There is nothing you can do for Lee. Move it, now! Jiraiya, come here!" Then she looked at the Akatsuki members. Itachi had only some dust on his cloak, Kisame had an almost invisible bruise on his right cheek. Devalan had bleeding wound on his right arm; clearly Jiraiya had been more than Devalan had bargained for. Murdgaki had some blood around his mouth and under his nails. But Tsunade wondered how the blood under his nails had gotten there; his nails weren't that long.

Murdgaki licked and smacked his lips. Then he spat and started to curse. He glared at Kiba. "Tell me one thing: When the hell was the last time that mud was in a bath? It stinks and tastes worse than a dunghill. And why the hell do those annoying bugs come out of that guy?! It's freaking disgusting!"

Kiba merely glared back and gently stroke Akamaru's fur. He had some few bleeding wounds; it looked like he had been bitten. Kiba's voice resembled that of a growling dog. "Well, your breath isn't exactly pleasant either. And as for Shino's bugs; they aren't as disgusting as you are."

Murdgaki looked like he was about to explode. He took a step forward but froze in his trail as Tsunade and Jiraiya stepped forward. He really didn't want to fight those two. Especially considering that they fought the fakes of Itachi and Devalan one-on-one; and Jiraiya had fought those two-on-one. The rest wasn't that must of a big deal. He cursed under his breath. The one he really wanted to fight and defeat was this Kakashi Hatake. He had, more or less, beaten Devalan. And Devalan had been a bit hard for Itachi to take down. He really wished he could have fought this Kakashi. But since Itachi had killed him, that was no longer an option. And he had a feeling that the two in front of him hadn't shown their full power.

---

Shredkill resurfaced, just as the last water disappeared. He saw that the Akatsuki members had regrouped. He looked down himself. He smiled inside his helmet. The armour was in a bad condition; there were many dents. He jumped over to the rest of the Akatsuki and glared at the Leaf sninobi who had punched him. He snarled. "That hurt, you bastard. That actually hurt. Are you ready to pay for those blows?"

Tsunade looked at Gai over her shoulder. He wouldn't be able to fight right away. She glanced at Jiraiya and saw her own thoughts mirrored in his eyes. "Looks it will be faster if it's just the two of us fighting them. Or what do you think… old friend?"

Jiraiya nodded. Then he chuckled. "Shall we get serious now?"

Tsunade chuckled too. "Oh yeah. Time to teach those dress-wearing and nail polish using sissies why we are praised as Sannin; the genius ninjas, taught by the Third Hokage himself. The rest of you; stand back! We will handle those losers!"

Kisame narrowed his eyes and ventured a look at Itachi. He hissed through his teeth. "Itachi-san, this isn't the time to be holding back. We are facing two of the three Sannin after all."

Itachi nodded and narrowed his eyes as he saw their opponents bit their thumbs spreading a little of the blood in their palms. That could only mean one thing. "Everyone, get out of way!" he shouted just as Tsunade and Jiraiya thrust their palms into the ground.

"Summoning jutsu!"

The shockwave nearly knocked down the Leaf ninja, even though they had retreated to a more safe location, carefully carrying the wounded. When the smoke dispersed, Gamabunta and Katsuyu appeared, with the two Sannin standing on their respective summon.

Murdgaki's jaw dropped. "You got to be kidding me. Those are two big slugs."

Itachi sighed. "Idiot. One of them is a slug, the other is a toad."

Murdgaki blushed of anger. "Really Itachi? Well, knowing what they are, isn't really going to help us fight them, does it?"

This was more than Kisame could stand. "Shut up, Murdgaki." Once Murdgaki focused at the two summonses, Kisame turned to Itachi. "But you know Itachi-san: Murdgaki is right. Knowing what they are isn't going to help us. We have to come up with a plan quickly, or we are done for before time. And you know how pissed The Leader will get. So stop holding back."

Itachi cursed in silence. Kisame had seen through him. But he didn't get time to respond, because Gamabunta took a deep drag of his pipe and spoke. "What? Is that you Jiraiya? I thought it would be that kid, Naruto, again. What is the big idea, Jiraiya? You know that I sleep around this time."

Jiraiya wasn't quite sure whether it was a good idea summoning Gamabunta. He guessed he got a bit overexcited. He half chuckled, half sighed. "Sorry about that Bunta. But it couldn't be Naruto summoning you. You see, those clowns down there have him. And they are going to kill him unless we do something fast. We could handle these ourselves, but we are kinda in a hurry. That's the big idea."

Gamabunta looked down at the people on the ground. He frowned slightly when he noticed the black robes with the red skies. He frowned a bit more when he noticed Itachi. "Akatsuki, eh? And is that really the kid who wiped out his own clan? Itachi Uchiha, wielder of the Sharingan , if I'm not mistaken? The blue one must be Kisame Hoshigaki, a former ninja from the Hidden Mist. But who are the other clowns?"

Jiraiya sounded tired when he answered. "I don't know who the other clowns are. But you are right about one thing; that is Itachi Uchiha. Any ideas how to fight him?"

Gamabunta looked to his left and noticed Katsuyu with Tsunade on top of her head. Then he noticed that Tsunade was wearing her old battle vest. He chuckled slightly. "Long time no see you two. It has been a long time since I last saw you wear that vest, Tsunade. I guess that means Naruto means a lot to you?"

Tsunade looked at the toad. "You got that part right. But do you have any good ideas how to fight those annoying eyes? Because I can't land a blow at him."

Gamabunta looked down at Itachi once again. Then a smile crept over his face. "I do. In order to defeat a Sharingan user, you just have to get him from behind. That, or you will have to blur it." He glanced at Katsuyu "I think we will go a 1-100 combo. Are you ready, Katsuyu?"

"I'm, Bunta."

Gamabunta nodded and took another deep drag of his pipe. Itachi and the others tensed. He didn't know what that 1-100 combo was, but he doubted it was a pleasant one. He tensed more when Bunta took out his pipe and lowered his head a little.

Then, without warning, Gamabunta blew out all the smoke he held in his mouth, right down at the Akatsuki members, engulfing them all in smoke.

They all coughed as they tried to breath. Devalan cursed. "What the… hark… hell… hark… is that… hark… for a cheap trick?!"

"Acid Slime!"

Itachi had a second to think. He couldn't fight anymore, since Kisame was already suspecting him for holding back. In other words, he had only option. He timed his move and gripped Kisame by the arm and pulled him out of the way. Instead he took a direct hit of the slime, making him collapse on the ground. The rests of the fake Itachi, anyway.

Kisame glared at the remnants in disbelief. He cursed. "Well, I did say that you should stop holding back, but I didn't mean that you should do that. Shit!"

The rest of the acid fall around him. Kisame and the other Akatsuki members had to jump for their dear lives. Devalan jumped high into the air, up over the smoke so that he had a clear view. He realized too late that that was a mistake. A big mistake. While he was airborne, he looked directly into Gamabunta's face. Devalan cursed. "Oh no!"

Gamabunta smirked and focused his chakra. "Oh yeah! Water Element: Water Bullet!"

A large bullet of water was fired from Gamabunta's mouth. Devalan couldn't do anything and he took a direct hit. When the bullet made contact, it was devastating. Every single bone in the fake Devalan was crushed to pieces and it destroyed everything in its course.

Kisame, Shredkill and Murdgaki regrouped. They couldn't believe that two of their member already had been taken out. But they were in for more surprises. Tsunade appeared right in front of Kisame and Murdgaki.

Murdgaki barely managed to raise his sword, before Tsunade delivered a kick to his chin, sending him into the air. He barely managed to steady himself in the air, before Tsunade was right in front of him again, delivering a barrage of kicks and blows. The two last blows was enhanced with extra chakra, and made contact with Murdgaki's throat and face, sending him into the ground. The impact was so great that stones flew into the air and it created a small shockwave.

Shredkill couldn't believe it. Two people were actually clobbering them. But he didn't have time to be pondering about that. He had his own opponent to worry about as Jiraiya landed right in front him, a Rasengan ready in his hand.

Jiraiya thrust his arm at Shredkill and… "Rasengan!"

Shredkill would have taken the hit, if Kisame hadn't intervened. Samehada absorbed the attack and devoured the chakra. Kisame chuckled. "Sorry old man. But I prefer having at least one partner standing when I take you on."

"Sorry you oversized cod. But your opponent will be me, since I didn't got the chance to beat Itachi Uchiha up as I would like to."

Kisame turned around, just in time to dodge Tsunade's incoming right fist. He lashed at her with his sword and it almost made contact. They engaged in a fierce taijutsu fight, sending dust and earth into the air, creating craters every time they split and clashed again.

Jiraiya locked eyes with Shredkill and furrowed his brow. "Now then metal head. Shall we fight and let those two sort it out?"

Shredkill merely chuckled. "Bring it on already. I hate to wait. But clearly someone made you wait… old man."

Jiraiya merely glared at Shredkill. "Oh just shut up, you walking pile of scrap. By the way; I think I can see a spot of rust. Right there, right in the middle on your forehead. So it seems you're outdated yourself."

That was more than Shredkill could handle. He lashed at Jiraiya, missing his chest by inches with the claws. Jiraiya chuckled. "Arg, you can do better than that. Or at least I hope so. Otherwise this is going to be a really boring match."

"Oh, I can do better than that… old man... Die!"

Shredkill appeared behind Jiraiya from the ground and stabbed him right in the heart. Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock and surprise. Then he exploded in loud 'puff' of smoke. Now it was Shredkill's turn to be surprised. "A Shadow Clone?!"

"That was indeed a Shadow Clone. Now it's mine turn! Rasengan!"

Shredkill spun around on his heel, just for his face to connect with the rotating sphere of chakra in Jiraiya's right hand. Shredkill was done for and he flew several metres and through several trees.

---

Kisame ventured a glance at the two other combatants. He just noticed that Shredkill was hit right in face with the Rasengan. He narrowed his eyes, before blocking Tsunade kick with his sword. He merely snarled. "Seems that I'm the only one left. However: I won't be that easy to defeat."

Tsunade just glared at him, panting a bit. "That may be the case, Kisame Hoshigaki. However: I got a kid to save. But that I can take you out right here and now is truly a pleasure."

Kisame narrowed his eyes a bit more. Then he chuckled. "Bring it on then… old witch."

Two of those red marks appeared on Tsunade's forehead and her eyebrows twitched. "That does it! Time to kick your lousy blue ass!"

Tsunade launched a series of fierce blows and kicks at Kisame. He dodged and blocked most of them, until Tsunade kneeled down and swept Kisame's legs away with one swift move. When she swung her leg back, she removed his sword. In one swift movement she was on her feet again and delivered a chakra enhanced kick to Kisame's throat, snapping his neck and embedding him into the ground.

Jiraiya walked over to Tsunade's side. They both panted. Jiraiya placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder before he spoke. "Perhaps I'm wrong, but something felt odd during my fight with Itachi. He seemed to hold back, yet his attacks were the real thing. But he felt different from the last time I saw him. Or what do you say, Tsunade?"

Tsunade nodded. She had had the same thoughts during the fight. It had been too easy. She looked down at Kisame. She got a shock, gasped and paled. "Th- this… is…"

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade. She was startled by something about Kisame. He looked at Kisame too. He paled too and shock was evident in his voice. "But... but this is…"

Tsunade finished his sentence. "A member of Root. What the hell is going on?"

Jiraiya frowned. "Tsunade… you don't think that the other Akatsuki might have been Root members as well? That Danzou has made contact with Orochimaru isn't new to me. But that he should be in alliance with Akatsuki? It's absurd. No one in the village would, not even Danzou, make an alliance with any Akatsuki member. It's absurd."

Tsunade nodded. But she didn't have time to be pondering about the meaning of this as someone called out.

"Lady Tsunade, come quickly!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other and sped off in the direction of the others.

___  
Sagato opened his eyes. "The jutsu has ended? That was faster than I expected."

Devalan merely growled. "They took us by surprise. Lend me some more chakra and I will finish them."

Sagato looked at the people he had sent. Then he looked at Naruto. "It won't be necessary. Five more hours and we will be done. You did well, all of you."

Kisame looked at the projection of Itachi. His Sharingan's didn't reveal any emotion, but Kisame knew Itachi had hold back. He considered whether he should report it to The Leader or not. But he guessed that could wait. Instead he chuckled. "Five hours, eh? Then we will done about dawn, about 6 a.m."

The Leader looked at Kisame, then at the others. "Correct. I won't forgive any mistakes from now on. Concentrate on the jutsu."

They all closed their eyes in concentration; the extraction was nearing its completion.

___  
Sasuke cursed. There was nothing he could do. Absolutely nothing. Although he didn't know how long time had passed by since the extraction began, he realized it soon would be over. Likewise, he had realized that this room was slowly draining him for his chakra. And none of his jutsu could penetrate that door, or the walls. And he knew that once they were done with Naruto, they would come for him. He sat down on the madras and looked at his miserable surroundings. Then he noticed something on the door. An inscription. He stood up and walked over to the door in order to read.

He read aloud. "This room was built by Dracula Vampire." There was a date engraved right after it. Sasuke frowned. The date was at least 300 years old.

Sasuke chuckled. He found this quite amusing. "Dracula? Vampire? Such ridiculous names. Sounds to me that someone, most likely this 'Dracula' guy had a very low self-esteem."

But that didn't help him very much. He didn't know whether it was his detested brother or that Dracula guy who was behind the jutsu that drained away his chakra. He had to lay down. He couldn't remember any time where his chakra had been as low as now. He had to lay down.

As he was lying on the madras again, he wished from the bottom of his heart that he could see his childhood friends just one last time.

___

They were running in a narrow tunnel; the only thing that ensured they didn't fell was the torches. But the flames were strange. A trace of green could be found in them. Furthermore, explosive notes were placed all over the walls, but the flames didn't enflame them. They had almost just descend from a stair of rock, and now they were walking in this tunnel that only allowed them to walk two people by each other.

Right now it was Sakura and Shikamaru who was in the lead, with Neji covering their tail. They were all puzzled about Kakashi's weird chakra. But Sakura had other things on her mind. Of course Naruto was bound to have parents, but now she realized that she or anyone else of their age group never had asked themselves, or others, who Naruto's parents were. Likewise, she was thinking on the many secrets Kakashi had. She would never have imagined that he would be one of Naruto's guardians; or that she wasn't placed in Kakashi's team by coincidence. And she still had a hard time believing that Itachi and Kakashi were allies and that they had managed to keep it secret for everyone for such a long time.

"Sakura, watch where you are going!"

Shikamaru caught her with his shadow. He sighed. "Whew, that was a close one. Are you okay, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded and looked down. She was standing on the edge of a river, its black water flowing wildly to the north. There was a narrow bridge in front of them that only allowed them to passage if they walked one behind the other. There also was a sign. They all read it. "The river Styx. This lead to the stronghold of the Vampire clan, Darkos. Beware; you might find more than you are looking for."

Shikamaru merely glared at the sign. He was confused. "What the…? The Vampire clan and Darkos? Never heard of any of those. Have you?"

The other two shook on their heads. Neji frowned slightly. "I don't like this. There have been too many surprises lately. Kakashi-san's chakra, his alliance with Itachi Uchiha, his past and so on. And then there is this tunnel. Ever since I sat my foot down here, I've felt this eerie atmosphere. It feels like… no one has walked in this tunnel for centuries. Furthermore; when we reach Satur, we will face Akatsuki once again. We better be prepared."

They all nodded. Then fear grabbed Sakura. She remembered the last time they had been too late; back then it had been Gaara who died. She remembered what she had seen. Gaara's inanimate body and Deidara sitting on him. She felt a knot form in her stomach and cold sweat covering her entire body when she, only for a second, imagined Deidara sitting on Naruto's body, waiting for them to enter. She gasped for air, and tugged in Kakashi's shirt, trying to ease her breath.

Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulders. He could see that she was scared of something and he had a pretty guess on what. "Sakura, we will get him back alive."

Neji nodded in agreement. But Sakura still doubted it. She looked at Neji. "How long time till we reach Satur?"

Neji closed his eyes in concentration. "Hm. One hour has passed since we entered the tunnel. So 6-7 hours. I wish we could go faster, but we can't since the tunnel will narrow even more. We will only be able to run in a line, once we cross that bridge. And that if we are lucky."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow. If they were lucky wasn't simply good enough. Nor was 6-7 hours. "Here is what we are gonna do. We will see if we can make it so that we will reach Satur within 6 hours. In order to that, our formation is as follows: Neji; you will be in the rear, covering our front and rear. Be on the lookout for traps and other stuff as well. Sakura: you will be in the lead. Out of the three of us, you've the greatest brute strength. In case we encounter a boulder or something else that blocks our way, we won't have to waste time destroying it with explosive tags; your strength can do that. Since I'm no good at crushing things or that much of a close-range fighter, I will be in the middle. That way I can assess every situation. Any injections or additions?"

Sakura and Neji shook their heads. As always, Shikamaru was able to come up with a strategy that was appropriate to the situation. They took their assigned positions and started to run in a pace that wouldn't exhaust them. Everyone had their own thoughts.

Neji was thinking about the fight against Akatsuki and on Kakashi's secrets. And he was thinking on Naruto, hoping they would be too late to save him. After all; Hinata would never be able to smile again if the news of Naruto's death were brought to her.

Shikamaru was contemplating on the battle to come too. He wondered who they were going up against. He doubted that even Kakashi would be able to handle more than two of the Akatsuki members. And like Neji, he hoped they would come to Naruto's rescue in time. He knew that Sakura would be devastated if they didn't. And to be honest with himself… he didn't knew if he could handle it either. But most of all; he was thinking on his sister. He really hoped that she would be all right. That she was safe.

Sakura only had two things in mind: To save Naruto and Sasuke. But no matter how much she reassured herself that they would make it in time, the picture of a dead Naruto simply wouldn't disappear from her mind. "Naruto… Help is on its way."

___

Tsunade sighed. She was tired. She was done with her healing of Chouji and Lee and she felt older than she ever had. She looked at the others, knowing that the two boys were unconscious "I won't lie to you. Ino was right in her assessment. It is serious."

Asuma and Gai looked at each other. Then Gai spoke, his voice tight with emotion. "Lady Hokage, how bad is it? Lee… Lee will survive, right?"

Asuma spoke before Tsunade could reply. "And Chouji? What about Chouji?"

Tsunade sighed again and closed her eyes. "They will live for now." As the sighs of relief sounded, she really wished that she didn't have to tell them the rest. "However; Chouji's situation is very critical. Parts of his liver and lungs have been burnt. If he survives, his recovery will take months."

Gai and Asuma nodded in understanding. Kurenai placed a comforting hand on each of them. Gai didn't seem to be able to ask the question. It had been hard enough for Asuma to tell Tsunade that the one who attacked Chouji was the one with the scythe and horns. Tenten already had told Tsunade what happened to Lee. But Kurenai doubted that Gai ever could ask the question. So she did it for him.

"And what about Lee-kun, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked at the two boys before answering, anger, hate and sorrow clear in every syllable. "As I said, I won't lie to you. Gai; this is perhaps even worse than the aftermath from Lee's fight against Gaara. Splints of bone and iron are embedded in Lee's entire body. Even in his spine. The chance for a surgery to be a success is 45 % as it is now. Of course I can increase those chances once we return to the village. The reason why the chances are so small is that those splints of iron emit some of the enemy's chakra into Lee's body, preventing my Medical-ninjutsu to be fully effective. I have removed the splints I could for further research once we get back to the village. Unfortunately, we couldn't use Gamabunta or Katsuyu to bring Lee and Chouji back because of their current critical condition. The good thing is that the splints in his spine and the enemy's chakra, somehow, does that Lee don't feel any pain at all. And even if he survives the surgery: I doubt that he ever will be able to work as a ninja again."

Gai didn't believe his ears. It couldn't be that after all what Lee had been through; now he faced even harder ordeals. But a look from Tsunade told him that what she had said was true.

Tsunade stood up and walked a little away. Jiraiya, knowing his childhood friend, felt that she hadn't told them everything. He walked over to her, making sure that no one could hear what they said. Then he looked at Tsunade. "Tsunade, you aren't telling them all of it. What's wrong? Come on you can tell. Especially since I read you as an open book."

Tsunade sighed. She felt older for every second that passed by. "Jiraiya; Sometimes I really know how well you know me. All right, I will tell you." She was silent for a minute or two. She looked up in the starry sky before she turned her gaze at Jiraiya. "It is doubtful that Chouji and Lee will last the night."

Jiraiya nodded. He had a feeling that it would be something like that. "You aren't going to tell them?"

Tsunade contemplated for a moment. "I'm not sure, my old friend, I'm not sure. Jiraiya; do you think this nightmare ever will come to an end?"

Jiraiya sighed. He was wondering the exact same thing.

End chapter 11


	13. Chapter 13: Chapter 12

Chapter 12: End and Beginning.

"Whew, that was a close call. If that tornado hadn't appeared, those kids would have been dead for sure. By the way, what happened?"

A chuunin from the Hyuuga clan shook his head in answer to Shizune's question. "I'm not sure. I saw a girl being chased by some Root members. Just when I when I was about to fight the Root, a stranger come out of thin air between me and the girl. He seemed completely unaffected by the corpses in the street. The girl reached the stranger and he…" the chuunin swallowed back his fear. "I will never forget that horrible chakra. It could rival that of the Nine-Tails with ease. The stranger… he didn't even made a hand seal. He just spoke the jutsu's name and the tornado appeared, sucking up the Root. The Root members were skinned alive before organs and muscles were ripped off their skeletons. Then the stranger took the girl with him. He… you will think I'm mad… he flew."

Shizune merely nodded. Her mind was racing. A flying sninobi who didn't even have to perform a hand seal was unheard of. Although; she had heard of something similar in an ancient legend during her childhood. But that would have to wait for now. "Who is the missing girl?"

The chuunin swallowed and glanced at the people in the corner. "Shikala Nara."

Shikaku andYoshino Nara gasped in fear. First Shikamaru went on a mission that was more than likely to be his death and now their daughter was with a man of immense power and, apparently, more murderous intent than the Demon Fox. Yoshino Nara started to cry and buried her face in her hands. Shikaku placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He looked at Shizune. "If you don't mind, Shizune-san, then we are going home. We need some rest. The wounds those kids weren't exactly mere scratches. And I will need to update the book. Just in case we ever gonna see that kind of injuries again. Come honey; we are going home."

Shizune nodded. "Thank you Shikaku. Thanks to you, Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon are going to recover completely."

Shikaku nodded and smiled a sad smile before leaving. The Hyuuga soon followed suit and left. Shizune turned at Anko, a concerned look in her eyes. "Anko, are you all right? After all; Shikala Nara is your student.

Anko was silent for a moment. Then she smiled. "I will be fine. But I'm worried about that stranger Shikala was taken by."

Shizune raised an eyebrow and made sure that they wouldn't be overheard. "What's wrong? Do you think it was Orochimaru?"

Anko shook her head. "No. Orochimaru doesn't have that kind of powers. However: When I studied under Orochimaru, he told me a legend. A legend about a powerful ninja; a ninja far more powerful than the Sannin. A ninja that could resurrect the dead without having to sacrifice his own life. A ninja that, according to legends, should be able to use jutsus without hand seals and even fly. But then again: Orochimaru lies. I'm sure that there was someone helping the stranger somehow. Perhaps with wires, or one using ninjutsu for support. Or perhaps even genjutsu. But I still wonder why Temari and her brother didn't notice that the kids were alive"

Shizune nodded. That was a possibility. And that was the legend she had heard. But that left them with another headache. She sighed "Those splints we found in them, pumped their bodies full with chakra, making it look like they were dead. Once the splints stopped doing that, we were able to pull them out. It a quite a fluke that a member of the Hyuuga clan came by and noticed that Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon still had a vital signs. And in case that the stranger wasn't operating here alone, we need to figure out who did what and why. But that will have to wait for later. How are things going concerning Danzou?"

Anko frowned. "Not good I'm afraid. Even though Sai is back in action and is showing them Root's secret base, then there is no sign of it ever being used. It's been abandoned. However; Aoba, Yamato, Raidou, Sai and Ibiki have succeeded in capturing several Root members that appears to have been members of Danzou's inner circle, if you can call it that. They are being interrogated by Ibiki as we speak."

Shizune smiled for the first time. "Good. Perhaps they can give us some hints to where Danzou is hiding."

The two women looked out trough the window as the sun started to rise in the horizon.

___  
Dracula cursed under his breath. The sun was starting to rise. Therefore he had to take shelter and train the girl on his back from the shadows. He landed between the trees, making sure that the rays of the sun wouldn't make contact with him. If they did, he would be fried.

Dracula put Shikala down near a trunk. While standing in the shadows, he wondered what element she would have a secondary affinity for. He already knew that the Nara clan used shadow jutsus in combat; in other words they used some sort of Light and Darkness element composition. He smiled. "Well, I guess there is only one way to find out. Shikala Nara, wake up. It's time to start your training."

No response. Then he remembered. During the night, he had infused a little of his chakra into her body, making sure she would sleep while they flew so that she could get her sleep. Of course he didn't really need sleep, considering that he is, what most people would say, dead. He chuckled and slowly recalled his chakra. When he was done, he poked her forehead, amusement clear in his voice. "Shikala Nara, time to wake up."

She was awake in an instant. She smiled a sleepy smile. "Good morning Dracula-sensei. Did you sleep well?"

Dracula smiled. "I don't sleep. I guess you want some breakfast, right?"

She merely nodded. Dracula smiled a little and moved in the shadows until he reached a small steam. He saw some really fat trout and pikes. A couple of those should do fine. Making sure no one was looking, he merely looked at the fish; they flew up from the water, dead before they even hit the ground. Not so weird. He had increased the electricity in their bodies, way above their max, killing them instantly. He would have to find a deer or so later, since he would need some fresh blood. But just as he was about knelt down to pick up the fish, he felt something. He stood up immediately, dropping the fish.

He mumbled under his breath, confused as hell. "This can't be… there is just no way this can be true. This chakra… it's almost just as sinister as my own. There isn't much of it, but the quality of it is incredible. Although it's has been some time since the person with this chakra was here, I can feel it. What the hell is going on here?" He was silent for a moment while he pondered about this mystery. He shook his head as it soon became clear to him that he couldn't come up with an answer. Then he remembered why he had left Shikala. "Oh well. I guess there will be time enough to think about that. We won't be able to travel during daytime anyway, so I can contemplate about it while she trains."

He picked up the fish and walked back, carefully avoiding the spots where the sun reached beneath the leaves. When he reached where he had left her, she was busy making a campfire. And she had time to gather some mushrooms and other stuff. He smiled to himself. His sister has been like her so many years ago. Until Jashin murdered her in order to complete his experiments. But even this day, Dracula wondered what happened to his nephew, his sister's only child, Lycan. Surely he was dead for good this time, but still. The boy had a lot of the Vampire clan's talent.

Shikala noticed his presence and looked at him, a bright smile on her face. "Oh, you caught some fish Dracula-sensei? Delicious! I have gathered some few mushrooms, but I can't get the fire started."

Dracula chuckled. He walked in the shadows until he reached the place he had picked to land. Going from the looks of it, he would be safe there for some time. He placed the fish near the fire and sat down against a trunk. He smiled a little and looked at the wood; a little flame could be spotted underneath it. He sighed and gave a small bat with his left eye. The wood caught fire instantly, and another blink caused the fish to be skinned and cleansed without Shikala having to do anything.

Her eyes were big in amazement. "How do you do those things, Dracula-sensei? Is it something like that you are going to teach me?"

Dracula chuckled and a small smile settled on his lips. "No, this isn't what I'm going to teach you. And this isn't that difficult. It just requires that you can control your chakra a bit more than normally. I guess a medical-ninja could do something like skinning a fish without touching it with their chakra alone. What I'm going to, at least trying to teach you, is far more complicated than this. But eat for now; you will need the strength for this training. It will be harder than you think."

Shikala started to eat like if it was her last day on earth. But she couldn't help than noticing certain things about her new teacher. She was used to weird looking people from the village, so his appearance didn't scare her or anything. But some of his habits were a bit too weird. And she noticed that he didn't eat, but merely looked in the sky, apparently completely lost in his own thoughts. She had to ask. "Dracula-sensei; you aren't eating anything. And why do you only walk in the shadows?"

Dracula was brought out of his pondering. "Sorry, did you say something? I guess I was spacing out."

"Why don't you eat anything? And why do you walk in the shadows all the time?"

Dracula pushed down his urge to laugh. This girl was smarter than he thought, he would give her that. And she was good at noticing things. "I don't eat because I'm not hungry right now. And for the waking in the shadows: I guess it's some kind of a habit I have. Or to be more accurate: I have to walk in the shadows. You see, I'm allergic to the sun."

Dracula almost burst out laughing at his answer. Allergic to the sun? Well, it was true; but of course a normal human being would think he was kidding. He couldn't blame the girl for getting a really puzzled and amused expression on her face.

She giggled. "Allergic? Allergic to the sun?"

Dracula thought he could kick himself. He knew he could have come up with something better than that. But he wouldn't erase her memory with some jutsu. Although; it would be piece of cake to him. He smiled. "Yeah. Sun and my skin aren't exactly the best friends. Are you soon done with your food?"

She nodded and ate the last. She looked at Dracula. "Dracula-sensei? When are we going to look for my brother?"

Dracula sighed. "It won't be right away." When he saw her disappointed and concerned expression, he smiled a little. "I'm sorry, but something has come up. Something I have to investigate before I can look for your brother. But don't worry; I will train you. And we start right now, if you are up to it."

Her expression turned into one of joy and excitement. "WEE. Let's get started already!"

Dracula chuckled. This girl was so energetic. "Right. But first I need to ask you something: Do you know of the five primary chakra elements?"

Shikala smiled. "Of course I do. Fire, wind, lightning, earth and water. Each of them is stronger than the next in mentioned order and weaker than the previous. Aside from that, my clan uses light/darkness-natured chakra."

Dracula was impressed. A kid knew that much about chakra? And she seemed to have the most essential down. Of course it would be foolish to tell her about his own element; the Death Element that was only available to him. Even the Rinnegan didn't give access to that element. Last time a wielder of the Rinnegan tried that, his blood burned. Quite literally. The sight hadn't been pretty. Flames shot out of every single vein in his body. But since she already understood that much, he didn't have to use time explaining that kind of stuff to her.

He smiled. "Very good. You are completely right. Your senseis taught you well. And as you pointed out, your clan uses light/darkness-, or more simply put, shadow-natured chakra. If this training becomes a success, you will be able to apply a second nature to your shadow attack. Are you following me?"

Shikala frowned slightly. "I think so. But what exactly do you mean when you say that I, after this training, will be able to apply a second nature to my attack?"

Dracula sighed. He had hoped she understood it the way he had put it the first time, but then again: She was only a child. He chided himself for expecting too much of her. He would have to explain it in a more simple way. Perhaps a demonstration would work. He smiled. "Shadow Clone jutsu."

A true copy of Dracula appeared. The real one smiled and motioned for the clone to walk a little away. The clone nodded and walked 10 meters away, avoiding the sun filled areas.

Shikala was confused and amazed at the same time. She knew that the shadow clone jutsu was a forbidden jutsu, although some jounin and at least one genin were known to use that jutsu. "Hm, Dracula-sensei? Why did you make a Shadow Clone? What are you gonna do?"

Dracula chuckled slightly. "Well, I'm not going to do anything with that Shadow Clone. You are. But before we start, I need to find out how many of the other five basics chakra-elements you can draw out aside for your shadow."

Shikala paled. Dracula was clearly expecting too much. She was only a genin for God's sake. "Umm, Dracula-sensei. I… I don't know how to do such a thing."

Dracula merely smiled, as he had read those thoughts before they were spoken. "Of course you don't know how to do that. Don't worry, I will show you." He saw her lighten up in a smile. He knelt down in front of her, making sure that he stayed in the shadows. "Perhaps you know this; when the ninjas back in your village shall find out what they have an affinity for, they use some chakra fed notes that react corresponding to the ninja who transfers some of his chakra into it. The paper gets soaked if it's water and so on. Finding out the other elements the ninja can use is more complicated, and many ninjas figure it out through the test and error- principle. That takes time, and I don't want to spend that time. Especially considering that I've a way faster way. Here is what we are going to do. We will put our palms together to begin with."

Shikala slowly raised her left hand and placed her palm against Dracula's right. She shivered. His skin was cold. It was like this guy was dead and had been so for a long time. Not that she could know anything about it; she had only eavesdropped on some of the full-fledged ninjas' conversations. She had to ask. "Dracula-sensei; why is your skin so cold?"

Dracula was puzzled. He sighed. "Hard to explain. It's actually quite a paradox. My skin is cold because I'm never in the sun. But I can't be in the sun due to my allergy. Now, can we proceed with this?" She nodded. He smiled before continuing. "It is now it gets difficult. Here is what we are going to do: You will channel your chakra down to your palm against mine. I will use some of my chakra to force your shadow-natured chakra away. Since you're as young as you are, it won't require much of mine to do so. But on the same time, I will use some of my chakra to pull eventual other chakra-elements forward. I will do that by draining as much chakra as I can in my right hand. Don't worry; I will still have plenty to do so. When I feel the time is right, I will remove my right hand. If everything goes smoothly, elemental strings shall be seen between our palms. I will warn you. This may hurt a bit. Are you ready?"

She swallowed and prepared herself for the pain. Then she gave a small nod as she channelled her chakra into her left hand. Dracula nodded as he felt the flow of chakra in her hand. He started doing what he had said he would. Shikala gasped in pain as she felt a little of his chakra in her hand. It was so intense that she thought she was going to be burned from inside out. It almost felt like her chakra was being split in two as some of his chakra pushed some of it back while some other pulled it towards his hand. Tears started to pool in her eyes as the pain grow and the chakra suddenly divided into three small strings.

Dracula felt it immediately and slowly pulled his palm away, eliciting a little scream from Shikala. Then he smiled. "You're quite impressive. If you train enough, you will be able to use fire, lightning and water jutsus. Shikala, take a look at this. There between our palms."

Shikala looked where she told, and gasped in surprise. Although there only was 15 centimetres between their palms, she could see them quite clearly. A string made of fire, one made of an electric current and the last of water could be seen between their palms. Her eyes went wide. "Amazing. This is simply amazing. Dracula-sensei, how can you do this?"

Dracula chuckled as he stopped his flow of chakra into her palm, causing the strings to disappear. "This is a method I developed in the past. Back in my days, the way of figuring out this sort of things was a lot more brutal and painful. He would rip out a kidney and investigate the chakra in it. So I prefer doing it my way. Although I never had one of my organs ripped out, I can imagine how painful it must have been for the persons. Especially since they were alive when it was done." He noticed her pale colour and horror in her eyes. He must have taken things to far. "Don't put too much thought into it. It was a long time ago, and things are different now. The world I grew up in was much different than the one you're growing up in. Back then, a new war was started every day. What you saw back in your village is nowhere near one percent of what I've seen. But forget that. Are you ready to start you training?"

Shikala gave a small nod. She tried to look calm, but she had the same colour as a ghost and she felt she was going to vomit. Dracula shook his head, wishing he hadn't told her about those things. "Here is what we are going to do; it sounds simple, but it's easier said than done. What you are going to do is capturing my Shadow Clone with one of your shadow-jutsus. Can you do that?"

She nodded again and mad a hand seal. "Ninja art: Shadow Imitation jutsu!"

Her shadow moved at rapid speed towards the replica of Dracula and made contact, freezing it in place. She chuckled. "Now what, Dracula-sensei?"

Dracula gave an approving nod. "Now to the more difficult part. What you are going to now, is trying to apply either fire- or water- lightning-natured chakra into the shadow. In other words: Once you have caught the target, you will send, for example, fire-natured chakra at him through the shadow. If things turn out right, your enemy will be put aflame. As you get better, you can attack him with a combination of fire and shadow at the same time, setting him aflame as soon as the shadow makes contact. Don't worry about my clone. It's supplied with the amount of chakra you can expect a chuunin or a jounin to have. So it won't be smashed right away. But just in case you progress really fast, I will make nine more clones."

Nine clones appeared out of thin air as he stopped speaking. And like the first, they took up positions in the shadow. Dracula stood up. "Do you understand the purpose of this training?"

Her face lit up with excitement. "Yes, Dracula-sensei!"

Dracula chuckled. "Very well. Now, if you will have me excused, I will get something to eat."

Shikala nodded and started to concentrate. She noticed that the real Dracula started to walk; a question popped up in her head. "Dracula-sensei? I have a question: You say back in your day things were different. I was thinking: How old are you? It can't be more than twenty years or perhaps thirty. You're too young for that."

Dracula almost walked right out of the shadow because of her words. He turned around, almost laughing for real. It was funny how this girl could make him do such things. "Me? Young? Hate to disappoint you, but I'm a lot older than you think. But even if I tell you how old I really am the chances for you believing me are close to or below slim. But I will tell you this; I was already old when the Hidden Leaf Village was founded. I was old before its founders were even born."

Shikala was confused, but she decided to focus on her training instead. Dracula smiled and continued to walk. Without even making a hand seal or speaking a word, he set up a dozen protective barriers that were invisible to the naked eye, making sure the girl was safe.

---

Dracula was draining a deer for blood. As he sucked the blood out through its neck, he thought about that weird chakra he had felt earlier. It felt like the one of his nephew, Lycan Vampire, once had. But Lycan died about 300 years ago. If Dracula remembered correctly, Lycan was caught in the crossfire made of the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails. If his memory didn't fail him, the two demons had fought over some territory near the border of the current Lightning and Fire country. Dracula sighed. It was him who had buried Lycan back then. He and Lycan were two out of twenty of their clan back then. 50 years later, and Dracula was the last surviving member of the most famous and feared clan ever. He killed a few of them because they tried to kill him, but most of them killed each other out of different reasons. Dracula closed his eyes in remembrance. It was about that time that the Hyuuga clan saw the day for the first time and soon after the Uchiha clan followed. The Uchiha clan had caused more than trouble with those annoying eyes. He sighed once again, before he skinned the deer with his chakra. When that was done, he started eating the meat raw.

He had barely swallowed the last bite when he felt it. He slowly stood up and looked to left. He felt life leaving two bodies. He narrowed his eyes. Going by the feeling, they couldn't be old.

His curiosity got the better of him. He disappeared in a glimpse of black smoke, considering that the sun had risen considerably. If Dracula had to guess, he would say that the clock was about 8 a.m.

___  
Tsunade sighed and held back her tears. She had tried everything she could, but the result was still the same. It had been the same with Hinata. No matter what she did, the enemy would still make sure that their victims died. She cursed under her breath as despair took her. She wanted to leave right away in order to save Naruto, but she knew that it was impossible. She was bound to stay there, no matter the end.

She looked at Asuma, Gai, Ino and Tenten. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing more that I can do. Their conditions were more severe than I thought. So… if you have anything to say to them… now will be your last chance." She stepped aside, making room for the others.

They nodded and knelt down beside their students and friends. Kiba, Shino, Coolio, Jiraiya bowed their heads and kept their distance out of respect for the dying and their mourners. Asuma lowered his head near to Chouji's ear. "Hey there buddy. I'm sorry if didn't treat you very nice. Too much pressure and harsh training. And too little barbeque- Chouji… I'm sorry. You're too young too die. But look at this way… where you're going you can eat all the barbeque you want. And for free. How does that sound, my chubby little student?" His voice cracked and Kurenai placed a hand on his shoulder; he took it and gave it a little squeeze.

Ino's eyes were filled with tears and her words were barely heard between her sobs. "Chouji… I'm so sorry. I should have treated you better too. I al… always were so rough on you. I regret this now… and how shall I tell Shikamaru about this? You are his best friend for God's sake… I do… don't think I can do this. When I think about the missions we've been on together… and the missions we should have had… Oh why did you get hurt like this?! This isn't fair! Two and a half years of training and I'm still useless! Go… odbye…Chouji… my ever eating fatass of a friend."

Her voice trailed off and she buried her face in Asuma's chest. At first he didn't react, but seconds later he took her into a hug and Kurenai soon followed suit. Chouji heard them, but he couldn't answer them; he was too tired and even he knew that he was nearing his death. But in his inside, he was crying.

Tenten knelt down and placed a hand under Lee's head. Like Ino, she almost couldn't see due to her tears and her voice was barely audible. "Lee. Why did you do that? That thing was meant for me; why did you get in its way? I suppose you couldn't help it. You were never the type to stay out of it when others were in danger. During our first Chuunin Exam you rushed in to save Sakura and her team. I… I am so sorry Lee for never believing in you when we were kids. All of your attempts to beat Neji… I miss them. And I'm going to miss your enthusiasm… and you and Gai-sensei getting so hyped-up all the time. Goodbye my friend." Tenten couldn't speak anymore, but she stayed where she was, stroking Lee's cheeks and hair.

Gai wiped away some tears, but they were soon replaced by some others. When he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. "Lee… You were always the student I favoured the most… you reminded me so much of myself… you fought so hard, trying to make your dream come true. You…you endured more than any man ever has. First your fight with Gaara; you didn't die back then, but the chances for you ever being a ninja and make your dream come true seemed farther away than ever. But after the surgery, you came back with new force… I… I can't say how proud I'm to have known such a splendid young man as you. I… I… I wish I could take your place now, so that you could make your dream come true." He couldn't say goodbye. That would be too much for him.

A cold voice sounded from behind; it was somewhere between a laughter and a mocking snarl. "How touching. One thing is that the youngsters cry for their comrades, but to see experienced warriors crying like that… that is a surprise. I thought that one of the sninobi rules sounded like this: A sninobi never shows his feelings, no matter what the circumstances. Feelings are a weakness. They only cloud his judgement and weaken his sense of duty. So why are you crying? Are you even ninjas? I suppose you are, considering you wear headbands."

They all tuned around, shock evident in their eyes. They hadn't seen, heard, smelled or even sensed the newcomer.

He was about 1, 80 metres tall and his shoulder was broad. His skin was the same colour as a corpse. He looked like he was in his middle twenties. He had long black hair that was arranged similar to Neji's and Itachi's. His eyes were completely red, except for the pupils. They were merely vertical slits, but the black slits were completely visible against the red. He was wearing a long black cloak that reached the ground. His nails were something between black and blue.

Due to the way he was leaning against the trunk, they could see that he wore black, light leather boots. A cruel smile was settled on his lips. When he spoke again, he sent shivers down their spines. "Any ninja knows this; when you head into battle, there is the possibility that you die. If you won't or don't acknowledge that from the beginning, then you aren't fit to be a ninja. That is the truth. And you know it now."

Coolio couldn't believe that he hadn't detected this guy. His nose had never failed him. He glared at the stranger and snarled. "And just who are you? Even though you haven't any relation to us, you should at least pay proper respect to the fallen! So why don't you step out from the shadows so that we can wipe that stupid smirk of your face.

An amused expression settled on Dracula's face. "A talking dog? How amusing. The name is Dracula. Dracula Vampire, Lord of Darkos. But I didn't come to start a fight. I merely came to see who the dying was. And now I see it. Two boys. How tragic. Which one of you is in charge?"

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya and saw her own fear mirrored in his eyes. If they were to fight the legendary Dracula, they would need time to prepare After all; they had heard the stories from their sensei. "I am the one in charge, Lord Dracula. I'm Tsunade, the First Hokage's granddaughter, the Fifth and current Hokage in the Leaf Village. But tell me Lord Dracula: What have brought you out of retirement? Surely you aren't here just for fun?"

Dracula looked at the younger ninjas. Apparently, it was only the lady with the golden hair and the big man with the white hair and a scroll on his back that had an idea of who he was. But that wasn't what interested him the most. Something Tsunade had said had caught his attention. He smiled again. He knew how to obtain his goal. "You're right, honourable Lady Hokage. I'm not here just for my own pleasure. But I must admit that I'm just as surprised to see you here that you are to see me. What is the Hokage doing out here, when her village is being demolished by a civil war? I thought it was the Hokage's duty to keep the village safe. What I'm doing here: I will tell you if you tell me why you're out here."

Tsunade frowned. Even though Dracula didn't seem to have any intention of starting a fight, but this guy could be just as good at equivocating as Orochimaru and Macbeth from the famous play of the same name. She took a quick glance around at the others and saw that they merely waited for her signal. She narrowed her eyes a bit when she returned Dracula's gaze. "We are looking for someone. Now, tell me. Why are you here?"

Dracula tipped his head to the left, giving Tsunade a penetrating glare. She answered his stare, and refused to back down. He was impressed. Not many had answered his gaze like that before. He smiled. "I see. I'm looking for someone too. Honourable Hokage; I'm impressed. Not many can withstand my gaze in the way you just did. Because of that, I'm will offer you a deal: If I help you, you will help me. And I'm generous. I will do two things for you. I will save those boys lives and put an end to the civil war in the Leaf. And I will only have one thing in return."

Tsunade frowned even more. This wasn't like anything she had imagined. She had expected Dracula to mop the floor with them in an instant. She ventured a glance at Asuma, Gai, Ino and Tenten. They looked overly happy that someone could save their students and friend. So did Kiba and Shino. Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. Just like her, he had a suspicious expression and a slight frown. She looked at Dracula who kept his smile. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "And in return you only want one thing? Let me guess: You want the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, right?"

Dracula's smile vanished and then he snorted. "The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox? No thanks. That one has caused me more trouble than I like. But…" his smile returned. "You are right in one thing: I want someone from your village."

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. She ventured another glance at her companions. They seemed just as surprised as her. "Who?"

Dracula chuckled. "Kakashi Hatake."

They all paled. Tsunade looked at Gai. What would be worst for him to lose: His favourite student or his Eternal Rival? She looked down at Coolio. His mouth was twisted into a snarl. Clearly he didn't like the idea of his master being taken away. And even if Dracula saved their lives, there was no guarantee that they ever would be able to live as ninjas again. Or that he would put an end to the war in the meaning they were thinking

Dracula seemed to have guessed her thoughts. He chuckled slightly. "Don't worry. I will make sure that the kids survive and can continue their lives as ninjas. And I assure you all that I won't destroy the village completely." He narrowed his eyes and his grew cold. "Likewise can I assure you all of this: I will get to Kakashi Hatake. The only question is how many lives you are willing to sacrifice before I do. Tsunade; as the Hokage you should know this: In a war there will be sacrifices. And sometimes you have to sacrifice one in order to save two or more. Or sometimes you only save one by sacrificing one. So what do you say? Are you willing to sacrifice Kakashi Hatake in order to save the two boys and the village? Or will you sacrifice the village and the boys in vain? The choice is up to you. But I suggest you make it quickly, because the boys will be dead within 10 minutes."

Tsunade sighed. She really hated him for being right. She looked at Gai and the others; they didn't say it out loud, but their faces and eyes pleaded her to save their friends and students. She looked down at Coolio and got a shock. He was smiling. A sad smile, but still a smile. She had to ask.

"Coolio; why on earth are you smiling? Don't you know what it means if I agree to his terms? You do realize that…"

Coolio cut her off. "I know what it means, Lady Hokage. But knowing Kakashi, I'm sure he would prefer saving the many. You know what to do."

Tsunade nodded, hoping she was doing the right thing. "Very well, Lord Dracula. We accept your terms. But we don't know the exact location of Kakashi for the time being. Return to the village in two weeks time, and you will get him."

Dracula tipped his head to the right. A cruel smile settled on his lips. "Please don't lie to me, Hokage. I can tell by your heartbeat that you know where he is. Or at least is headed. So why don't you just tell me? Time is running out. 9 minutes left."

Tsunade knew she would hate herself for this. And others would hate her. But she had no choice. "He is heading towards Satur. I don't know its location. That's why those dogs are here. They are trying to pick up his scent."

Dracula smiled. He had seen through her lie, but he knew what he needed. "Very well. Now I will keep my part of the deal. Bring the boys over here. And their injuries. 8 minutes left."

They moved quickly, and Tsunade told him about their injuries. Asuma and Jiraiya placed Chouji to Dracula's right, while Gai and Kiba placed Lee to his left. Dracula frowned a bit when Tsunade was done. "Hmmm. The burned organs won't be easy. But I will do my best. That's a promise."

He narrowed his eyes and in an instant Chouji was surrounded by green chakra. One movement with his right hand, and Chouji's liver and lungs flew out of his body, just to be caught by Dracula's right hand. He studied them for a moment. When he saw the disgusted faces of the younger ninjas he chuckled. "Be glad you didn't live back when I was your age. You wouldn't last for long if you can't handle this." He narrowed his eyes at the liver and lungs. "With fire shall fire be vanquished."

Green flames flared to life, burning the burned parts away. When the green flames disappeared, they revealed how much of the organs had been burned: Nearly a quarter of each organ. He muttered under his breath and looked at the boy to who the organs belonged. "How the hell did you, a mere human, survive a injury like this? Humankind isn't the same as it once was I suppose."

He made the liver and lungs hover in midair with his chakra. He took up a little of Chouji's blood and stroke it along the edge of where the missed some parts of the organs. Placed a fingertip on the line of blood; blue flames spread from his fingertips, and ran over the line of blood. When he removed his hand, the lungs and liver were enveloped in blue flames. But the flames didn't burn it.

All of the Leaf sninobi' eyes widened in amazement when they saw this. They widened further when they saw the organs were regenerated within 1 minute. Dracula smiled a bit. He lowered his hand and the organs, still enveloped in blue flames, descended into their rightful places. The wounds were healed instantly by the flames, and the colour returned slowly to Chouji's skin. Their eyes widened in relief. But this was far from over. And there was only 4 minutes left.

Dracula sighed. "He will be fine now. He just needs rest. However: Those organs will be extremely sensitive for a month or so. So he shouldn't join a battle or overdo things. Now for the other one. It was something about splints embedded in his spine, correct?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. And they emit some of the enemy's chakra into Lee's body. Or so does the ones made of iron. I can't counter it."

Dracula nodded. "I see. Hm. This could prove to be more difficult than the other. I can't counter it by transferring some of my own chakra into his body; that alone would kill him. I could of course just kill him and then revive him, but then he wouldn't be able to live as a normal ninja since he would be unable to walk in the sunlight. It seems there is only one choice. He will need a vast amount of chakra; and it has to be his own. I figured that out while I healed the other one. It can't be helped. 7 out of the Eight Celestial Divination Gates will have to be opened."

Gai paled till he reached the same colour as a ghost. "Open 7 of the gates?! But he is only capable of opening 5 or perhaps 6! Opening one more could kill him! And you can't open his gates, only he can do that! And…"

Gai fell silent under Dracula's gaze. Dracula's voice was something between a snarl and a whisper. "Don't tell me what I can do and not do. It's true that normal men can't force another person's gates open, but I'm not exactly what you would call normal. I have to open those gates, because that will supply him with enough chakra to survive what I'm going to do. The bone fragments in his spine are something Tsunade can deal with. But she can't deal with those made of iron. I can't pull them out with chakra alone, since they emit some chakra themselves. I have no choice. I have to pull out his spine, crush it to dust so that the iron fragments will fall out and then mend it again. This is too advanced for any living Medical-ninja to perform."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. She had come up with the solution, but she knew that she would be unable to perform it. She looked at the others. Tenten and Ino and walked a bit away and was now puking. Kiba's skin had a very sick colour to it, and he soon followed the girls. Kurenai placed a comforting hand on her bodysuit clad friend. Tsunade looked at Dracula again. "Do your best."

Dracula nodded and soon Lee was covered with green chakra. Dracula moved his right hand, and Lee was lifted up in standing position, the chakra keeping him standing. Dracula pointed his right index and middle finger on Lee's brow and mumbled. "Eight Celestial Divination Gates; First Gate: Initial Gate, open! Second Gate: Heal Gate, open! Third Gate: Life Gate, open! Fourth Gate: Wound Gate, open! Fifth Gate: Limit Gate, open! Sixth Gate: View Gate, open! And Seventh Gate: Insanity Gate, open!"

They all stared in amazement as chakra started to radiate out of Lee. Some words came to everyone's' minds: Amazing, incredible, and insane. They had never heard of anything like this; one that could open another person's chakra gates. And even from the outside.

Dracula was unfazed by the amount chakra that was released. With one swift move, he ripped out Lee's spine. Lee screamed in pain, but Dracula's green chakra kept him alive and muffled his screams. With his bare hands, Dracula started crushing Lee's spine. Several metal splints fell out of dust every time he loosened his grip; but the dust stayed hovering in midair. 1 minute later, and Dracula was standing with the dust hovering in front of him, and over 100 metal fragments lying by his feet.

He frowned. "It's now it gets difficult. Destroying his spine was easy. Mending it is more complicated. Three minutes left… it's going to be a close call."

Dracula dipped his right hand in the flood that was filling the hole in Lee's back, as Lee was bowed slightly forward. Dracula waved his hand in the bone dust, spreading some of the blood. The he cursed.

"Damn it all! This won't be enough. No choice."

He bit his right hand and smeared his own blood over his hand; then he started to mingle his blood with Lee's before he caused the blue flames to flare to life inside the dust. He smiled it was working as it should. His own blood increased the mending rate's speed. One minute left. The spine was halfway mended. He narrowed his eyes again increasing the regenerating progress further. 30 seconds left, and spine was almost done to be put back into place. 10 seconds left; Dracula moved fast. With one smooth movement he forced the spine back, making sure the ends connected where they should. The blue flames healed the wound, just as time ran out.

Dracula sighed. This had been closer than he thought was funny. He placed his right index and middle finger on Lee's brow, which was still being kept standing by Dracula's chakra and still emitted chakra, and spoke. "Eight Celestial Divination Gates: Gates 1-7; close."

All of the Inner Gates closed instantly, and Dracula caught Lee as he started to fall, since Dracula's chakra had dispersed along with Lee's chakra. Lee's breathing was slow, but steady. He placed Lee on the ground, on his stomach, before he addressed the others. "He should be fine now. But his back will be very sour and sensitive for the next half year. And he will need daily treatment by Medical- ninjas if he ever is to recover completely. During that half year, he mustn't train or carry anything on his back. If he does, there is a risk that his spine will collapse. Have I made myself clear?"

They all nodded. Gai wept his tears away. He couldn't believe that Lee had been saved. Although it would be hard to prevent Lee from training, he would do it; even if he had to break Lee's arms and legs. But he smiled nonetheless and addressed Dracula. "I don't know who you are; neither do I know why you want my Eternal Rival. But thank you… thank you very much."

Dracula stood up and prepared to take his leave. "I'm going to kill Kakashi Hatake, for reasons you don't need to know. And I'm glad that I could save that kid. Although I think he would be better off dead."

Gai frowned slightly at this. "Why would Lee be better off if he was dead?"

Dracula smiled. "If I was wearing an outfit like that, I would ask the first one I saw to kill me on the spot."

They all laughed at that, except Gai. Just as Dracula turned around, a thought came into Kiba's mind. "Lord Dracula, wait!" Dracula turned his head. Kiba swallowed his fear before continuing. "Lord Dracula; I couldn't but hearing you say that you can resurrect the dead. I thought… perhaps it is too much to ask for… but can you revive one of our friends back in the village? Her name is Hinata Hyuuga and she was killed by a mistake. I beg of you; please bring her back."

Dracula turned around, a scowl on his face. "And why the hell should I bring her back? If I started to revive one every time one asked me to do so, I would never be left in peace. Besides; the deal sounded that I would save those two kids and stop the civil war in your village, and I would have Kakashi Hatake in exchange. If she should have been included in the deal, I would have required much more. The deal can't be remade. I've kept my part, and you have kept your part. And since she is dead, it means her purpose in life has been fulfilled. She has no longer a reason to live. And the dead are better if they stayed dead. End of story, goodbye"

He disappeared in a glimpse of black smoke before any of them managed to utter a protest or anything else. Kiba was fuming and tears started to pool in his eyes. "Son of a bitch! What the hell did he mean by that?! I could… next time I see that bastard I will force him to revive Hinata! And…"

Kurenai placed a hand on her student's shoulder. She too had tears in her eyes. "Kiba… I understand how you feel. I understand it all too well. But the chances for him to agreeing on reviving Hinata were close to zero. It was worth a try, but we just have to accept it."

Tsunade nodded. "Kurenai is right, Kiba. And I understand your anger too. But against him, none of us stand a chance. If he wants to, he can wipe out Jiraiya and me without even breaking a sweat. Now we have to focus on those two and bringing Naruto and the others back." She looked at Coolio with a sad expression on her face. "Coolio, I'm sorry. I know how much Kakashi means to you and the others."

Coolio shook his head and smiled a sad smile. "No need to apology, Lady Hokage. I'm sure Kakashi would understand your decision. He would have done the same if he was forced to."

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. He had been friends with the Sakumo Hatake and Kakashi for years. And they would have made the same decision. Although Sakumo once had given priority to his team members and not the mission, he couldn't blame him. He would have done the same thing. And going by the way Kakashi had behaved lately, he would have done the same. But one thing worried him a little. He pulled Tsunade out of earshot of the others. "Kakashi may be able to understand it, but I'm not sure Naruto will. How shall we tell him about your decision?"

Tsunade sighed and wiped a tear away. She didn't wish to say it, but it had been on her mind the entire night. "Jiraiya; none of us wish to admit this, but the chances of Naruto still being alive is small. None of us like it, but that is just reality."

Jiraiya nodded. He had thought of it. He just hoped it wouldn't be the case. He hoped Kakashi would make it in time.

___

Dracula cursed under his breath as he walked back to Shikala. The shadows were few, and due to the barriers he had created around the place where Shikala was, he couldn't teleport there. But that wasn't what annoyed him the most. He couldn't teleport to Satur either, since he had set up many barriers there too. Or at least helped with it. After all; that place was where many of the Vampire clan was buried. He had designed a room in that castle; a room with an iron door and no windows; and he had added a jutsu to that room that would suck one dry for chakra in an instant. Of course that was some years ago, so he doubted that the jutsu still would be effective. The only reason he had went so much out of his way back then, was because it was in that room where Lycan was buried. He sighed. Kakashi would have to wait for later. Right now he had to return to where Shikala was and tell her that they were going back to the Leaf Village when the sun set.

___

Neji, Shikamaru and Sakura came out from a secret door on the rock wall. Kakashi was already waiting for them. He had a concerned look in his eye. "Are you all right?"

They nodded and took a closer look at their surroundings. Sakura gasped in awe. They were standing in a rocky valley. Satur was surrounded by towering cliffs. People could only enter through the passage they just came from and a passage on the other side of the castle.

Their eyes widened in awe. Satur was made of stone instead of wood. And it was old. Very old. Many of the stone walls and towers were very weather-beaten, because you could see with the naked eye that the stones were smooth. But how that could happen in a valley, was something Naruto had no idea of. The roof was gone and some places the walls were falling apart. But the walls seemed too tall and too steep to climb, even if you used chakra. But one thing was still completely intact: The heavy iron gate with a Five-point barrier note placed on it. Sakura and Neji frowned. They had seen that kind of seal before. It was identical to that seal Akatsuki had placed on that cave's entrance. They remembered it, because it had prevented them from reaching Gaara in time.

Sakura glared at the Five-point barrier note and felt despair grip her. She looked at Kakashi and felt tears starting to feel her eyes. "Kakashi-sensei; how are we supposed to reach Naruto in time with that seal on it?! It takes five people to remove that seal, and we are only four. It will take another squad if we are to break in. And…"

Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and was startled to see he was smiling. His voice was soft and it gave her hope. "Sakura; take a look at Kakashi-sensei. He is smiling. I think he knows how we get past that barrier. Isn't that about right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded. He had anticipated Sakura's reaction. "Don't worry Sakura. Itachi told me about this barrier. That is another reason why I have one of those rings. With this ring we can get past that barrier without having to remove the seals. Now; does anyone remember the plan Shikamaru designed, based on the information I supplied him with, on the way here?" They all gave a nod and. Kakashi nodded too. "Let's go. Prepare for battle anyone."

They walked up to gate. Kakashi held up his right hand. A second later, and red beam from the seal was fired and made contact with the ring. The gate opened without a sound.

___

Murdgaki was losing his patience. "What the hell is the meaning of this?! It's two hours more than we expected! It's 8 a.m. now, and the sun is rising. How much longer?!"

Sagato cursed under his breath. But the curse couldn't be heard due to the distortion. "Don't worry. I can see by the chakra flow from the Jinchuuriki that we soon are done. 10 seconds… 8 seconds… 6 seconds more… 4… 3… 2 and… WHAT?!!"

The Nine-Tails' chakra was flowing back into Naruto with a rapid rate. And just as they concentrated harder, the statue started to tremble violently. Sagato was furious. "WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!"

His shout were mirrored from different directions. The last of the red chakra returned into Naruto, just as The Leader started to shout pure fury. "DEAL WITH THIS TROUBLE!"

The phantom dragons dispersed and Naruto fell towards the ground just as the statue vanished in smoke and the projections disappeared. Naruto was caught by Shikamaru while he still in midair. When Shikamaru landed with Naruto, he sighed. "Sorry for the delay my friend. We ran into some trouble on the way here."

None of the Akatsuki members could believe their eyes. Neither could Naruto. His voice was weak, yet audible in the silence. "Shikamaru?? How is this possible??"

A furious growl was heard from Devalan. "I want to that too! Now die you spiky haired brat!" He and Murdgaki charged from the left. They were 5 metres and had their weapons risen when…

"Rotation!" They head-on into Neji's rotating wall of chakra and was tossed back with full force.

Blackrose charged from the right, screaming in joy. "You are mine boys! Mine, and mine alone! I will… what the… my body won't move!"

Shikamaru chuckled and spread his arms out wide. "Shadow Imitation jutsu… successful!"

"Nice, Shikamaru! Take this you bitch, hell yeah!" Sakura's chakra enhanced fist made contact with Blackrose's face, sending her flying into the wall, just as Deidara sent three of his small explosive-birds from while he was in midair and Shredkill charged their centre.

"Lightning Element: Lightning Whips jutsu!"

Two whips with a length of 10 metres and made of lightning appeared from behind Shikamaru, before Kakashi jumped over their heads and moved the whips. One of them destroyed the birds and took its direction towards Deidara who barely dodged them. Shredkill wasn't that lucky, as the other whip wrapped itself around his right ankle, giving him one heck of an electric shock. Kakashi moved swiftly moved his left arm into the air, lifting Shredkill from the ground, made a few twists with the wrist that caused Shredkill to move in circles, before Kakashi with one fierce move smashed Shredkill into the ground and the whips disappeared.

When Kakashi landed in front of them, he didn't turn around. "Are you okay, Naruto?"

Naruto couldn't speak. He merely gave a weak nod. Then he closed his eyes and fell silent. Shikamaru paled considerably. "Naruto! Don't die now! Sakura, come here! I can't find his pulse! I think he is dead!"

Sakura rushed to Shikamaru's side, tears in her eyes.

Kakashi narrowed his eye; his pupil turned into a slit, just as Shredkill came back to his feet. His voice was like a trapped animals snarl and hate, fury, and murderous intent were evident in every syllable. "You killed one of the few and last who mattered to me. I won't forgive that! No more nice-guy! Are you ready to pay for what you've done?!"

All of the Akatsuki tensed. The fight was about to begin.

End chapter 12


	14. Chapter 14: Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Kakashi's Fury! The Final Battle Commences! 

"You killed one of the few and last who mattered to me. I won't forgive that! No more nice-guy! Are you ready to pay for what you've done?!"

Deidara smirked. "How are you going to fight us, hmm? You and the Jinchuuriki could barely fight me alone the last time we fought. But I look forward to kill you, umm."

Kakashi glared at the younger blond with the ponytail. "Don't trouble your simple mind with that. I still have some few surprises in store for you. Using my Mangekyou Sharingan to mess up your statue didn't quite go as I planned though. But I have still plenty of chakra to fight you jerks. First things first though: Sakura; find Sasuke. My guess is that he is in one of old burial chambers in the vault. Try to find the one with a heavy iron door. Shikamaru; time for you to back off a little. Take Naruto with you. Neji: if you can keep the boy with the funny hair and the girl busy, I will deal with the metal head, the ugly one with the scythe and the annoying blond over there."

The youngsters nodded without questioning. Shikamaru took up a safe position near by the gate; Neji took up a battle stance alongside Kakashi while Sakura headed towards where Kakashi had told her the chambers would be.

"Oh no you don't!"

Devalan charged after Sakura, scythe ready for an attack. Kakashi narrowed his eye, took a half turn to the left, made a couple of hand seals and thrust his hand into the ground. "Earth Element: Stone Spikes Blockade jutsu!"

A long line of 7 metres tall spikes made of stone raised rapidly in the direction of Sakura and Devalan; it came in between of them, preventing Devalan from slashing Sakura in half. He cursed as he jumped backwards; he didn't want to be impaled by those spikes.

Kakashi glared at him and his lips curved in a smile behind his mask. "Don't make me repeat myself. I will be your opponent. And this time…" He narrowed his eye and all in the room felt the wave of killing intent. "I won't hold back."

Devalan glared back and gathered chakra for his teleportation. Something was on his mind. And he wanted answers. He had a suspicion that Itachi had lied. He snarled at Kakashi. "Tell me Cyclops; how is the eye doing? How the hell can you still be alive, when Itachi dealt with you and those brats?? And more importantly: HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE WITHOUT ZETSU NOTICING??!!"

Kakashi merely smirked. "The eye is doing fine, thank you very much. Itachi… deal with me? Don't make me laugh. As I already told you… I'm stronger than he is. I admit he was tough and in the state I was in back then, I would have lost. But he was taken by surprise by my companions. Sakura broke his arm and he took the flight. About us getting here without being noticed: This castle has been in my family for generations. I know this castle and its surroundings like the back of my hand." He held up his right hand, giving them a clear view of the white porcelain ring. "And this ring made it possible for us to enter without having to remove that annoying barrier. And since I'm the last surviving member of the Hatake clan, I make the rules in this castle. And one of them is that extraction of a Bijuu is strictly forbidden. I think that answered all of your questions, don't you think?"

Devalan smirked at his reply. It seemed Itachi thought he had dealt with them. That or he had been too ashamed to acknowledge his defeat. He glared at Kakashi and locked eyes with him. "What a pain in the neck. But I must admit that I'm happy Itachi failed to kill you. Because now I can kill all of you in one go."

"Do you really think it's going to be that easy?"

Devalan's eyes widened when he heard Kakashi's voice from behind. A moment later and Devalan screamed as Kakashi slit his throat.

Devalan fell to his knees, and his hands clutched his windpipe. When he removed his hands, gasping for air, he saw that there was no blood on them. Then he realized. His eyes widened in shock and anger as he glared at Kakashi, without looking at his eye. "You bastard. That was a genjutsu? I can't believe I fell for such a cheap trick."

Kakashi merely chuckled. His and Shikamaru's plan was working. For now anyway. "Well, if you fell for that little stunt, then you are in trouble. Really big trouble. Now then… shall we begin?"

Murdgaki chuckled. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Shall we kill them together, dear sister?"

Blackrose took up position beside him and smirked. "We shall dear brother. But let me have the pink-haired slut. I owe her from last time. And this time…" She glared at Kakashi. "That lightning wielding bastard won't take me by surprise."

They both transformed into their lizards form. The only difference was that Murdgaki had some nasty looking and sharp yellow spikes down the tail and on both arms. And his upper eye-teeth were dripping with venom.

Blackrose made a run towards where Sakura had disappeared. She ran in between the spikes but…

"Ninja art: Shadow Imitation jutsu!"

She was caught by Shikamaru's shadow once again. She stared at him, promising him a slow and painful death once she got a hold on him. "You little worthless… how dare you use that jutsu on me again?! When I get my hands on you I will…"

She was cut off by a cold voice that sounded bitter and amused. "I think you get other things to worry about than him. Like me. 8 Trigrams: Air Palm!"

Neji's jutsu hit her right in the chest; no one had noticed that Neji had slipped himself into the doorway because of Kakashi's little stunt with Devalan. But Blackrose was lucky. Due to the angle, she didn't get impaled by the stone spikes. But she was blasted right through them, so she still got a lot of bruises. Neji chuckled slightly. "I thought Kakashi-san already told you; I will be the ugly freak over there and yours opponent. Thank you for catching her Shikamaru; you work fine as back-up. But don't forget about the others."

Shikamaru smiled one of his usual smiles. "Don't worry Neji. I will stay out of the fighting as much as I can. Just as we agreed. It is a drag, but someone got to keep an eye on those dummies."

Kakashi chuckled at Shikamaru's comment before he fixed his eye on Deidara and Shredkill; Devalan wasn't quite over his shock from Kakashi's genjutsu. He knew about Deidara's and Devalan's abilities. But for now, Shredkill's powers remained an unknown factor. He was the one to worry about.

Deidara smirked. "Well then. It seems I will be able to get a rematch from last time, hmm. And this time, it won't go as it did last time, hm. Or what do you say, Copy-ninja? After all, you ruined my art last time, hm!"

Kakashi looked like he was about to take out his book and read. He had one of his bored expressions. But before he could take out his book, Shredkill cut in. "Enough talk already. Deidara, prepare your bombs. Devalan, get a grip of yourself. Murdgaki and Blackrose; deal with that Hyuuga boy; then you can deal with the pink-haired girl and the Uchiha kid. I don't care what Itachi wants. That boy is nothing more than trouble."

Deidara glared at Shredkill. "Stop acting as you're the one in charge, Shredkill. We will eliminate them without you being all bossy, hm!"

Kakashi narrowed his eye. At least Sasuke was still alive. Although Kakashi wasn't sure if he wanted Sasuke dead or alive. But he would have to think about that later, because Shredkill made his move.

A sphere of chakra gathered in Shredkill's left palm. He chuckled. This ball of chakra would be more than enough to take Kakashi down. He smiled behind his helmet. "Are you ready to die, Hatake? You and those annoying brats are about to get messed up."

Kakashi frowned. Shredkill was right. That ball of chakra would be more than enough to wipe them out. Then he smiled at Shredkill. "Indeed. That ball of chakra will mess us up beyond recognition… if it makes contact, that is. But don't forget…" He tensed a little in preparation. "That I know this castle. It would be a big mistake on your part to underestimate that knowledge. But on the other hand: It would it a lot easier for me to kill you all."

Shredkill felt the anger boil in his veins. Kakashi was annoying him beyond what he thought was possible. And Devalan wasn't on his feet yet. But at least he wasn't trembling. It seemed the genjutsu Kakashi used on him was worse than Shredkill suspected. Shredkill had already used his chakra to scan the entire castle for more enemies, and he found that the ones in front of him weren't clones. Although he had sensed another strong enemy approaching. They would have to finish this fast, otherwise things would become troublesome. And The Leader was more than likely to be in a really bad mood.

He glared at Kakashi, making sure not to lock eyes with him; he had a feeling telling him that it was the way Kakashi ensnared Devalan in that genjutsu.

"Shall we begin, Hatake?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye at the one opposite to him. Those claws weren't jokes; they could do some very severe damage. His gaze wandered on to Deidara; the blond seemed to be almost ready for his attack. His eye moved again, looking at the lizards; like Deidara, they seemed ready to begin fighting. He ventured a quick glance to his side: Neji seemed ready to fight as he stood there, blocking the entrance to the tombs. He had taken up his usual stance in front of the stone spikes, making sure that Sakura and Sasuke could run behind the wall of spikes.

Neji noticed that Kakashi was looking, and gave a curt reassuring nod in response. Kakashi nodded back. Neji was ready. He glanced over his left shoulder, looking at Shikamaru and the lifeless Naruto. Shikamaru looked pale, but he too gave a nod. He made one of his hand seals. He was ready to fight.

Kakashi chuckled. Neji Hyuuga and Shikamaru Nara: an interesting combination. Perhaps the two most gifted of their age group. He was excited to see them in action. After all: He had the narrations about their battles two and a half years ago in the Chuunin exam. He wondered how much they had improved.

He glared back at Shredkill and pulled out a kunai. "Let us begin."

Shredkill and Kakashi launched themselves at each other with incredible speed. They met on the halfway and metal against metal and explosions were heard; blood flew into the air.

___

Sasuke looked up. Explosions? Sasuke didn't understand it. What the heck was going on? Obviously, someone had arrived and was now fighting Akatsuki. And there was more. It was faint, but Sasuke could hear doors being knocked down; and from the sound of it, the one doing it was approaching fast. Sasuke walked up to the door and leaned his right ear against it, trying to hear if he could identify the person causing the noise and asses how far away he or she was. He only got a moments warning to get away from the door as he heard running footsteps and a female voice coming.

"Found you! Hell yeah!"

WHAAMMM!

The massive iron flew inwards, hitting the stone wall with a deafening sound, and when it landed on the floor, dust was raised into a considerable cloud. When the cloud of smoke fell to the floor again, and Sasuke stopped coughing, he took a look at the one standing where the door had been few seconds ago. His eyes widened as he realized who he was looking at.

Sakura was standing in the doorway, her right arm stretched out in front of her and her fist clenched.

She was panting a bit, and her hair was covered in dust. She was wearing boots that was open around the toes. Actually she was wearing the same outfit as the last they had met. Sasuke looked a bit closer. Not quite the same outfit. She wore a shirt that the chuunin and jounin used to wear back in the Leaf. As he stood up, finding a bit support against the wall he spoke up.

"It has been some time… Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked to her right. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, panting and covered in dirt, dust and something that looked like blood. He was panting and had some very nasty bruises. Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. This was far from the last time she had met Sasuke. Back then he had seemed so cold and proud. Now he was standing there, looking like a vagabond. She felt tears pooling in her eyes and she moved towards Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed. This was more than he had hoped for. Not only had aid arrived, but it came in a better way than he ever imagined. Sakura was still alive. This meant the ones fighting had to be Leaf sninobi. Most likely Neji Hyuuga, Shikamaru and his old sensei. But he was worried. He had a feeling telling him that they were in for more than they bargained for. Likewise, he was worried for Naruto. He wondered whether they had made it in time.

He when spoke up, his voice was week. "Sakura, who are fighting? Is Naruto still…OUCH!"

Sakura interrupted him by slapping his face with almost full force. He hit the same wall as the door. As he got to his feet again, Sakura was moving towards him again. Sasuke looked at her, utterly confused. "Sakura what the…AWW!"

Sakura slapped him once again. But this time she took a firm grip in his dirty shirt, keeping him standing. Her inner boiled with different emotions. She had wanted him back for so long, but she couldn't forget what happened last time they met. They had been weak against his powers, but this time around the roles were changed. She locked eyes with him. Her voice was something between a snarl and a whisper.

"Time to beat you to your senses. The first one was for leaving the village. The second one was for what you did to Naruto back then. This one…" she slapped him with her right hand, enhancing it with chakra while holding him firmly in place with the left hand. "Is for the last time we met. This one…" another slap. "Is for what you did to Hinata. And this one is for what you did to Naruto now!" She slapped him one last time, before she started to cry. "Why Sasuke? Why did you leave? And why did you do all those things? What have you achieved by it?"

Sasuke didn't respond at all. Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose from Sakura's slapping, but he didn't blame her for it. In his mind, he was thankful. He thought he deserved much more than that. And it was one heck of a wake up call. He hadn't tried to stop her either, even though he could have done it with his Sharingan or his Full Body Chidori. And he doubted he would have succeeded if he had tried the latter. After all, he was almost drained. And he didn't dare to use his Curse Seal, since it was the thing that had gotten him into this mess to begin with. That and his quest for power.

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I think I was jealous. Jealous of Naruto, because he continued getting stronger while I didn't make any progress at all. Too late I realized why Naruto became stronger at the rate he did. It was because he cared for his friends. Especially for you. And me for that matter. And I, as the fool I was, never realized it. Or perhaps I realized it in my heart, but I didn't listen to it. And now… It's most likely too late. Perhaps I can return to the village… perhaps I can't. If they put in jail for my crimes, I will understand it. But I will let the Hokage decide that. Whatever her judgement may be, I will accept it. But I've other things to worry about right now. Sakura: Is Naruto okay? Who are fighting the Akatsuki? How many opponents?"

Sakura considered to slap him again, but decided against it. Sasuke was already in a bad condition. Why he hadn't noticed that some of his rips were broken was a mystery to Sakura. And if they were going to make a run for it, he would need to be at his best. Perhaps it was better just to answer his questions. She sighed and got a worried expression on her face and let go. "There are five opponents. Kakashi-sensei, Neji and Shikamaru are the ones fighting them. I…" she trailed off. It was only because Sasuke briefly placed a couple of fingers under her chin. She continued. "I'm not sure whether Naruto is alive or not. Kakashi-sensei interrupted the extraction with his Mangekyou Sharingan, but I didn't really have time to attend to his injuries."

Sasuke nodded, but he was amazed and confused. How on earth could Kakashi obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan? He couldn't have killed his best friend, could he? Sasuke shook his head. He would have to figure it out later. Or ask Kakashi about it. But that would have to wait for now. But just as he was about to move, two other questions popped up in his mind.

"Sakura, tell me: How did you and the others find this place? And how did you survive Itachi? No one does that."

Sakura paled slightly. This was unexpected. She couldn't tell the truth, because Sasuke wouldn't believe her. And if he did, Itachi and Kakashi would be exposed. And she and the others would be in grave danger. She couldn't let that happen. She tried her best, but her voice was weak and hesitating.

"We fought Itachi together. It was a close call, but we managed to break his arm. We tracked you here with the aid of Kakashi's hounds. I think we should know their tracking abilities better than most. After all… they tracked us down in five minutes back when we genins in Team 7. Do you remember what we did?"

Sasuke almost burst out laughing. He hadn't forgotten the episode Sakura was referring to. Damn, Kakashi had been really pissed. And he hadn't forgotten Kakashi's punishment. The memory was faint, but he had had nightmares for months afterwards. But their reminiscing would have to wait. He had seen through Sakura's lie instantly, but right now he would let it drop. Kakashi, Neji and Shikamaru would need help if any of them was to survive this.

He looked at Sakura. "Sakura. Let's go. They will need our help. And… I've a score to settle with Akatsuki. I won't let them get away with hurting people that cared for me; and still care for me, even if I screwed up big time. Lead the way, Sakura.

As he finished, he activated his Sharingan and started to walk. But he only walked a few steps, before he almost tumbled over due to a pain in his chest.

Sakura caught him by his collar and helped him to sit down against the cold stone wall. She placed a hand on his chest and started healing him. "Don't move Sasuke-kun. Some of your ribs are broken. I will fix them now, and then we will get the hell out of here."

Sasuke merely nodded and deactivated his Sharingan. But he had other plans. He was done running away. If he couldn't fight and beat those guys up there, he would never be able to fight and win against Itachi. But for now, he would just do as Sakura told him.

Sakura really put her all into it, and 10 or 12 minutes later, they was moving upwards, towards the battle awaiting them.

___

Sagato was furious as he sat there in his chakra cage; a cage he had created to ensure their safety during the extraction and even one day afterwards too. It was a good plan, but now that plan was backfiring. Sagato glared at his reflection in the lake right in front of him. He looked exactly like his brother Nagato once did, except for his hair. His hair was slightly darker than his brother's had been, and it had a trace of black in it. And his body was muscular in the same way his brother used to be. Before he started using those creepy bodies 25 years ago. And he had two scars crossing down the right side of his face. One down the eye. That one was from his fight with Itachi. Itachi wouldn't accept him as his leader. But he had bested Itachi. But it appeared that Itachi was still opposing him. He would pay for that. The other scar on his face was from a previous encounter with the Sannin. All three of them. Of course he hadn't fought them at that time, considering that he was only a child during the war when Jiraiya taught Nagato and his friends. But then again: he never needed that training. Aside from the Rinnegan, he had a Bloodline Limit just as powerful, or perhaps better. He was able to copy others' abilities, even if they were unique to one bloodline. In other words: He was able to copy Bloodline Limits. Reason: He and Nagato had different mothers. Nagato's mother wasn't a ninja, but Sagato's had been. Their father cheated on Nagato's mother while she was 8 months into her pregnancy. And it was from that sidetrack he had inherited that ability. His mother had died because of the Sannin. One of their jutsus had hit him and his mother when the Sannin had been fighting, giving him that scar and killing his mother. But who of Sannin who used the jutsu… was something he didn't remember. But he had other things to think about. Going by the explosions, the enemies were fairly powerful. He needed to know more. He channelled some chakra into his ring and spoke with a cold voice.

"All of you; did anyone see who the enemy is?"

Itachi's face appeared in the ring. "No my Lord."

Zetsu appeared. "No. But I can tell you this, my Lord: Whoever they are, they managed to get past my range. Quite a feat if I may say so."

Kisame's face came into sight in the ring where the character for zero normally was. "I didn't see their faces, but they seemed familiar."

Sagato was furious. He couldn't use those answers to anything. And he wouldn't be able to contact the ones fighting. He cursed under his breath. "Damn you Itachi. You plan of taking us here seemed good, but is now backfiring at us. If I find even a hint that can prove you did this on purpose… I will kill you in the most painful way I can think of. But for now… I will wait and give you the benefit of the doubt."

___

Kisame ventured a glance at Itachi. The Uchiha sat on a rock with closed eyes. Kisame was, not for the first time these days, wondering whether Itachi was loyal to Akatsuki or followed his own agenda. He was wondering what happened in the castle and what was on the younger man's mind.

He asked him.

"Itachi-san. Who do you think interfered? And what's going on in your mind?"

Itachi didn't open his eyes. He was silent for a moment. "I've no idea of who interfered. What's going on in my mind? A simple answer is to get my hands on whoever mingled with our plans and kill them. But considering we will have to wait here for another 22 hours, there is good chance that the others will have taken care of them before we get out of this. We can use that time to guess how much resistance Devalan and the others will meet before they kill their opponents."

Kisame laughed a little. "Indeed. We will just have to wait." But in his mind, Kisame decided that he would keep a very close eye at Itachi.

In his mind, Itachi knew that Kisame was suspecting him for being a traitor. But the thing that worried him the most was if Sasuke was alive and if Kakashi had arrived in time.

___

Kakashi cursed under his breath as he jumped backwards, clutching his bleeding left arm. If it hadn't been for the kunai he had held in his hand, his arm would have been cut off. Furthermore, Deidara's bombs had caught him off guard. If it wasn't because Shikamaru had discovered them and pierced them with his shadow, he would have been blown to pieces.

Kakashi panted as he regained control of himself and pushed down the pain. "Thank you Shikamaru; that one was close. Too close. Damn it all. I didn't see those birds coming behind the metal head's back. Missing an eye is really a big disadvantage."

Shikamaru nodded as he pulled back his shadow before he frowned. This wasn't good. They hadn't thought there would be five opponents. Two or three at the most. But five members of Akatsuki were more than he or Kakashi had bargained for. And to make things worse, Devalan was now back on his feet and ready to fight again. Not good. He couldn't provide Neji and Kakashi backup at the same time. Shikamaru glanced to his left. Neji was still keeping the two lizards at bay, although he was bleeding from some superficial wounds on his chest and arms; and he was panting a bit. But the lizards had some really nasty bruises too. Apparently they had charged at the exact same time Shredkill and Kakashi clashed. But Shikamaru hadn't noticed them. But it seemed that they had succeeded in reaching him a little before they were thrown away by his rotation. Reason: There were two dents in the wall. And then there was Deidara. It seemed not all blonds were stupid. He looked down at Naruto; he looked pale. And Sakura still hadn't returned with Sasuke. Not that he cared about Sasuke; the jerk hadn't returned even though his comrades had risked their lives for him. But he was important for Naruto, and Naruto was important for Shikamaru, so if he had to drag Sasuke back, he would do it. It was troublesome, but something needed to get done. Then he came to a decision. He spoke up, his voice loud and clear.

"Kakashi-sensei. If you can deal with the metal head and the ugly one with the scythe, then I will deal with the guy who can kiss his own ass. Neji; can you deal with the oversized reptiles?"

Neji looked at the lizards. Then he smiled. "Of course I can. I'm merely warming up. Besides: Their brute strength isn't going to help them against my Gentle Fist."

The lizards snarled and hissed at Neji's comment. But Shredkill merely chuckled. "That kid isn't stupid. Not at stupid at all. He is right; brute strength won't help against Gentle Fist. But Hatake; do you think it would be smart to leave him alone against Deidara? And a you sure you can fight me and Devalan alone?"

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru. He wasn't sure how Shikamaru planned on fighting Deidara; but then again: Shikamaru hadn't beaten Kakashi in shogi if he was stupid. But Kakashi wasn't sure if he could fight Shredkill and Devalan on his own. But he was more than willing to give it a try. Then he noticed something. Chakra was dancing around Shredkill's claws. That explained why his kunai had been destroyed. The chakra was making the claws' edges beyond razor sharp. But he wanted to know more about it.

"Tell me something: Those claws are you weapons right? Tell me this; which village did you abandon and what kind of chakra element are you using to make your edges so sharp?"

Shredkill merely chuckled again. He wondered why Kakashi wanted to know of those things. Plus he couldn't wait to kill him and those annoying brats. But he didn't see that it could harm him to tell Kakashi what he wanted.

"I origin from the Hidden Cloud Village. My chakra is basically lightning and wind natured. Not that it will do you any good. Why do you ask?"

Kakashi shrugged. It was as he suspected. And he saw that Devalan had readied his scythe. Things were going to grow intense around here. "I was just curios. I think your name was Shredkill, right?" Shredkill merely nodded. Kakashi smiled behind his mask before continuing. "Shredkill and Devalan: I will show why the Hatake clan was known as the best swordsmen in the world. Even the Uchiha clan was no match if we fought with swords."

Kakashi pulled up in the right side of his vest, revealing a tattoo on his right shoulder: Two white fangs. Before any of the Akatsuki moved, Kakashi bit his left thumb and smeared the blood over the tattoo. Two katanas appeared in a small cloud of smoke and was caught by Kakashi. He took up a battle stand with his left arm stretched out and the katana held vertical in his hand, tip pointing up; he held the one in his right over his head, edge pointing upwards and tip towards Akatsuki. He smirked.

"Ready to dance?"

Shredkill looked at Devalan then back at Kakashi. He burst out laughing. "Fool! My claws will cut straight through those blades. But if you want to die that badly… Then I will be happy to accommodate you!"

Shredkill and Devalan charged. Kakashi moved too. He gathered some chakra at the bottom of his feet, jumped and swung his swords.

---

Shredkill thought his claws would destroy the katanas. But his claws were blocked and so was Devalan's scythe. But more happened. As Kakashi's swords were swung, white chakra poured out of him and the swords, making cuts in the ground. And in the Akatsuki's blades. The cuts were small and insignificant, but too many of them and their blades would be broken.

Shredkill looked at Devalan, and saw the same thoughts mirrored in his eyes. They would have to finish this quickly; otherwise they would be in trouble. But Kakashi had other ideas. He moved again, and soon the three of them were engaged in a fierce fight with blades; the blades and their wielders were only a blur of motion. Metal against metal could be heard and white charka and orange-red-yellow flames were flying through the air as they moved, leaving deep marks in the walls and ground.

---

Deidara cursed under his breath. The fight had been on for 15 minutes, and those three blade wielders were still at it with in highest gear. Furthermore, he still hadn't been able to get any of his bombs near Shikamaru; some of them was pierced by Shikamaru's shadow, others were cut in half by the white chakra, others were sliced by blades and the last of them were hit by flames.

It was beyond annoying. But he had a lot of clay left and Shikamaru couldn't reach him with his shadow. But still… Shikamaru was still capable of keeping him at bay with his shadow attack. But just as Deidara was about to launch another attack, Kakashi landed right in front of him, sword ready to decapitate him. But Kakashi's two attacks were blocked by Devalan and his scythe, but some of Deidara's hair was cut by some of the white chakra.

A low growl and a curse erupted from Kakashi's throat before he made another move. Five fast moves with each katana, and Devalan's scythe was cut into three pieces. Devalan just managed to teleport away before his head turned out the same way. Deidara jumped to his right, just as Shredkill landed on the same spot and reengaged Kakashi in a fierce fight with blades.

Deidara glanced at Devalan. He panted slightly and had several cuts. Although the cuts only were superficially wounds, Kakashi had been close to hitting a vital spot more than once. Deidara frowned. He never imagined the Copy-ninja would be so powerful. Of course their previous encounter proved that Kakashi had skills. But that he was skilled enough to keep Devalan and Shredkill at bay with swords by himself was something new. But he soon got other things to worry about, as Shredkill landed on Deidara's right side. Deidara glanced at him too. His cloak was ripped several places and it seemed Kakashi had gotten more than a couple of jabs through Shredkill's armour, as small trickles of blood emerged from several small wounds. And as Devalan, he panted slightly. But what really made Deidara frown was the fact that Shredkill's claws were almost gone. Only five centimetres remained and the tips of them were blunt. Deidara narrowed his eyes at Kakashi.

He panted heavily. He had some few cuts and bruises and blood was smeared all over his arms. His hair cascaded down, covering his face. As he wiped his hair away, they saw nothing but murderous intent beneath the layers of blood and sweat. But his mask was still intact. And his vest had been penetrated a few places, allowing blood to emerge from his torso. Some of the wounds were dangerously close to his heart. Deidara glanced at the katanas. Amazingly enough, they were still fairly sharp. Deidara guessed it was because of the white chakra.

Deidara smirked.

"How are you going to continue this fight, Copy-ninja? You are in no condition to fight us, hm."

Kakashi merely glared at Deidara. He knew he wasn't in a condition to fight them without Deidara telling him. But hadn't used enough of his chakra to use that jutsu. On top of that, his katanas were of no further use. But now he at least know some of Shredkill's abilities. And now he knew his alignment. Shredkill was a former ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village. He sighed as he put his katanas back to the place where he had summoned them; as a tattoo on his right shoulder. Then he narrowed his eye as the five opponents lined up.

"As I already said; don't trouble your simple mind with that. But I can assure you of this: Next time I will be taking more than just some of your hair. By the way: that haircut was needed. You looked like a girl. And frankly… you still do."

Deidara blushed with anger at Kakashi's comment. He turned crimson when he ran some of his fingers trough his hair and felt that the ponytail was missing. He almost cried as he screamed in fury. "You… I'm going… to kill you, hmm! How dare you cut and ruin my hair, hmm?! It is almost art, hmm!"

Kakashi shook his head. "Idiot. Sasori and you don't know anything about art. You can't define what art is out from how long it lasts. You should define art based on how useful it's for others and if others can enjoy it. For example: This is true art." He pulled out his green book.

Deidara glared at him and his jaw dropped. But before he could say anything, a thin beam of chakra was fired at Kakashi; it was Shredkill who attacked. The beam had been fired from his right indexfinger.

Kakashi dodged, but by doing so, his book was almost ripped in two. Kakashi looked at his book and sighed in relief. Amazingly enough, the chakra had hit the midsection of the book. In other words; it was still intact and the pages were readable. He sighed and put his book back into his pouch. He narrowed his eye.

His voice was cold. "Akatsuki: Hit him three times, and even Buddha will get mad. You've hit me several times now, and now I'm not just mad. I'm pissed. Time to teach you a lesson. I will teach you what happen when you hurt the ones precious to me."

He had gathered chakra in his feet while he talked. As soon as he stopped, he launched himself towards Akatsuki with incredible speed, sending stones into the air in his wake.

Devalan snarled something and moved; the impact when they met send stones and dust in every direction.

Shredkill formed a few seals and four rotating rings formed in his hands. He smirked. This would be the end of Kakashi Hatake. No one had ever survived this jutsu.

---

Sakura looked in awe. Although she couldn't see how they moved, she had a good guess. She and Sasuke was standing in the entrance to the tombs, and were looking at the battle before them. The blur of motion that they guessed was Kakashi, Shredkill and Devalan were so fluid and elegant that it resembled a dance or something like that. And going by sound of it, they were fighting with blades. Sakura thought that this was almost like seeing the fight Sasori and Chiyo had with their puppets. Or more specific: The Third Kazekage against 'Mother' and 'Father'. Except that the fighters were moving of their own will and with greater elegance.

She was amazed that Kakashi could fight two of Akatsuki on his own. But she was also really surprised, when she saw that Shikamaru held his own against Deidara. He used his shadow to destroy the flying bombs, and once he saw an opening, he attacked with his Shadow Sewing. And if Deidara wasn't within range, Shikamaru would use his shadow to throw anything within range. Mostly medium sized rocks; most likely some that was cut off the top of the spikes and from the battle so far. But also kunais with and without explosive tags.

Then she eyed Naruto, lying to the left of Shikamaru. From where she was standing, she couldn't see if he was breathing or not. But just as she to run towards them, Sasuke grabbed her around the waist and forced her back, pressing her against the wall. She soon saw why. Neji was engaging two lizards in a violent fight, springing forth and back between the spikes. He also used his rotation. Sasuke nodded in the direction where he had pulled her back; there was a hole in the ground from Neji's jutsu. Sakura paled; if Sasuke hadn't reacted when he did, she would have been smeared. She looked at Sasuke as he took a step backwards.

Her voice was thin. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke merely nodded in response. He could sense Naruto's chakra vanishing. They needed to act fast. Without hesitation, he grabbed Sakura's left hand and started running towards Shikamaru and Naruto. He activated his Sharingan to keep an eye on the fighters, just in case they approached them. But it seemed that Akatsuki members were more than busy with Kakashi, Neji and Shikamaru as their opponents. They reached Naruto, just as Kakashi landed and stopped fighting for a while. They heard him say something and saw the Akatsuki line up, shoulder by shoulder. He turned towards Sakura, just as a distinct green flow of chakra started to emanate from Sakura's hand. His voice was low.

"How is he, Sakura?"

Shikamaru gave a small yelp and looked to his left. He hadn't sensed Sakura and Sasuke approaching at all. He noticed that Sakura was healing Naruto; or at least trying to heal him. But it didn't appear to work. Shikamaru looked at Sasuke and frowned. He never liked him, but seeing that Sasuke seemed to be able to fight by himself was good news. He noticed out of the corner of his right eye that Kakashi and Neji moved once again; Kakashi towards Akatsuki, just to be met by Devalan. Neji moved too and was instantly met by a tail from the largest of the lizards. Neji was thrown through the air by the smack and hit a spike. He groaned and spit up some blood. But he wasn't more damaged, than he could make a counterattack against the other lizard when it moved within his range; he jumped and delivered a kick to its face. Shikamaru turned at Sasuke and spoke.

"Hello there Sasuke. How have you been?"

Sasuke turned his head to face Shikamaru. "I've been better. Now, if you don't mind, I will get going. I have a couple of comrades I need to save."

He had barely spoken these words, before a groan was heard. Then… "Sasuke… is that you?"

Sasuke looked down. Ignoring the explosions around him he spoke. "Yeah, it's me… you big blond knucklehead."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the face of his friend. He looked to his to his right and saw the tears streaming down Sakura's cheeks. "Hey there Sakura-chan, no need for crying. Wait… hold on… Sakura-chan?! How can you still be alive??!! Itachi… he said… he said he killed you!"

Sakura cursed her luck inside her head. She couldn't tell Naruto and Sasuke about Itachi's secret allegiance with Kakashi. Why, why did Naruto have to ask that question as the first thing when he woke up? She glanced at Sasuke. He too seemed to be waiting for an answer. Answer she knew she couldn't give. She smiled.

"Don't worry about it Naruto. You should know how tough Kakashi-sensei and I can be. We are not that easy to overpower."

Naruto gave a weak nod. He couldn't believe it. Kakashi and the others had arrived to rescue him. More than that; they had survived Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi was now engaging Akatsuki in a fierce battle.

Sasuke wasn't satisfied with her answer though, but he didn't push the matter further. They needed battle power, seeing that Neji and Shikamaru soon would reach their limits. But he needed chakra, which he hadn't. He cursed his luck. But he would not give up without a fight. He would give Neji some backup with the remaining of his chakra. He made a couple of hand seals.

"Fire Element: Mythical Firebird jutsu!"

The small fireballs flew past Neji's head and made contact with one of the lizards; the one with the yellow spikes down its tail and arms; the lizard hissed in fury as it was blown through several stone spikes by the impacts.

But Neji was surprised that Sasuke would and could blow the fire around his head the way he did. Neji jumped backwards, standing next to Sasuke, who had his Sharingan activated.

"Thanks Sasuke. That was a close call."

Sasuke merely smirked as the lizards approached again; the one with the spikes had some black spots. Apparently, it scales were protecting it. "You're welcome Neji Hyuuga. What do you say? Shall we show those losers what the two noble clans, Hyuuga and Uchiha of the Hidden Leaf Village can do when combined?"

Neji nodded in response and used his Byakugan to look at Naruto and Sakura. He frowned slightly and informed Sasuke. "Sakura is trying to mend Naruto's shin. Shikamaru is still keeping the blond Akatsuki at bay. However; he, you and I are reaching our limits. I don't think we have enough chakra to keep an offensive; I think we should switch to defence. Unless you activate that mark on your neck."

Sasuke let out a small growl. He wouldn't use the Curse Mark, unless it was absolutely necessary. But if he didn't, it would most likely be the end of them. "What about Kakashi?"

Neji looked around and a serious and curious expression settled on his face. "What? What is that? Shikamaru is holding the metal head with his shadow. Chakra is concentrated in Kakashi's palm. It's… spinning."

Sasuke ventured a quick glance. His eyes narrowed slightly. "That jutsu… I've seen it before."

They heard a familiar jutsu's name being yelled, before they heard another. "No time to look the other way, maggots!"

The lizards launched themselves at Neji and Sasuke who merely jumped back. Neji threw the smallest of the lizards away with his rotation, but it didn't fall. It merely landed between the stone spikes. Sasuke blew another barrage of fireballs at Murdgaki, and even though only two of them hit, it was more than enough to push the lizard backwards.

Murdgaki hissed. "That again, eh? It will be a pleasure to tear you into pieces. You and the ones behind you."

Sasuke looked behind him. They were standing right in front of Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru. However, before they could move again, they heard Deidara yell something and saw 8 of his fastest bombs fly towards them. Sasuke and Neji cursed. Neji's rotation wouldn't be enough to stop the bombs, and they came too fast for Sasuke to stop them. As they prepared themselves for the inevitable, they heard a sound that in the past would have made them tremble in fear, as that sound was the same as certain death.

The thing that made the sound blocked all of the bombs, as it engulfed them and crashed them, right before they hit their intended targets. Deidara yelled something.

A low and monotone voice spoke from the gate. "It has been some time… Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke turned around to face the voice's owner and whispered. "You?"

---

Devalan and Kakashi met, and their impact made stones and dust fly in every direction. Their hands were locked with each other in iron grips; they tried to crush each others' fingers. Then, Devalan smiled and teleported away, instantly burning Kakashi's hands. But Kakashi had barely time to be surprised, for just as Devalan teleported away, Shredkill shouted.

"Ninja art: Chakra shurikens!"

Kakashi cursed as two rings made of pure chakra soared towards him; he barely dodged, and they made huge holes in the wall as the sliced through it. Kakashi stared at Shredkill as several rings of chakra came in his direction with incredible speed. If it hadn't been for his Sharingan, they would have hit. But he dodged them too, just to realize that he was standing in a corner, and Shredkill was preparing to launch the greatest amount of those chakra shurikens. Kakashi made a series of seals and shouted.

"Earth Element: Stone Shield jutsu!"

A wall of stone shot upwards, until it was about two or three meters tall.

Shredkill merely smirked. "That won't help you. Eat this!" He send over 50 chakra shurikens towards the wall before he made another move. "Chakra missile!"

The shurikens penetrated the wall with ease and chakra missile blasted it and the wall into oblivion. Shredkill smirked. "And that was the end of Kakashi Hatake."

"Try again, metal head. Earth Element: Decapitation jutsu!" Before Shredkill could utter a curse, he felt Kakashi's hand around his left shin, and was pulled into the ground, until only his head was visible. Kakashi appeared right in front of him from the earth, his Raikiri ready to strike. He muttered at Shredkill. "This is the end for you."

He stroke with his Raikiri at Shredkill's head, but he was thrown backwards as his hand made contact. He was thrown through the air and landed hard with a loud thud. He barely got to his feet, before he was pulled into the air by Devalan and thrown hard into the ground again. But just as Devalan was about to try it again, Kakashi made another series of seals and spoke. "Lightning Element: Thunderbolt Barrage jutsu!"

Devalan was defenceless and hadn't gathered enough chakra for a teleportation as twenty blue and yellow balls of lightning was thrown at him from Kakashi's hands. Devalan was hurled into the air and through the ceiling; and just as he teleported downwards again, he was caught by a now standing Kakashi's jutsu, as the latter continued to hurl those balls at him with greater intensity than before. Devalan had to admire Kakashi for his power and stamina. He was being herded towards Shredkill, who now stood on the ground again, a rather large hole behind him. Devalan smirked in his head. Apparently he wasn't the only one caught off guard. He moved, much to Shredkill's annoyance, behind Shredkill.

Shredkill growled as he invoked another jutsu. "Wind Element: Chakra Shield jutsu!"

A barrier of wind-natured chakra appeared in front of Shredkill, shielding both Devalan and Shredkill from Kakashi's furious attack. The balls were either absorbed or destroyed by the shield. And those who weren't; they smashed large holes in the wall behind them.

Kakashi narrowed his eye and glared at Shredkill.

"So that is how it is. I see now. Your amour is surrounded with a thin layer of chakra all the time, isn't it? And you can increase the amount of it and add either wind or lightning nature to it. That explains a lot. When I attacked with my Raikiri, you added a lot of wind-natured chakra in order to cancel my jutsu out. Then you quickly switched to lightning-natured to throw my away. Isn't that about right?"

Shredkill smirked. "Correct Hatake. I guess nothing can remain hidden for that damn eye of yours. But tell me: How did you survive my attack?? I would have noticed if you used a Replacement jutsu."

Kakashi tried to get his laboured breath under control. "As I already told you. I know this castle as the back of my hand. There are several trapdoors in this castle. One of is in that corner. Evading that attack and take you by surprise was no big thing."

Kakashi noticed the pulsating chakra around Shredkill's hands, but he was caught by surprise as he felt a strong hand clutch around his left upper arm. He turned around and saw Devalan smirk at him.

He swiftly spun around to see another Devalan stand beside Shredkill, glaring at him. Just as he was about to attack, he realized something. The one holding him wasn't a Shadow clone, but something more complicated. His skin was slowly being burned under this Devalan's firm grip. He prepared for Shredkill's attack but he needed to get loose from this Devalan; and he better do it fast. But he also needed to make sure that the other Devalan wouldn't get another hold of him. Then it came to him. He knew what jutsu to use; a jutsu he learned when he joined the ANBU. A jutsu that was forbidden. But if this clone was anything near a Shadow Clone, then it would hurt the real one too. He gathered chakra in the ends of his right index, middle and ring finger and spoke out loud and clear as he took up a stance that was similar to Neji's.

"Demon Fist: 9 Trigrams, 15 Palms!"

Although the strikes were mere small jabs, the effect was incredible. The clone was blown backwards and exploded in flames as Kakashi hit it right over the heart; blood was pumped out of a small wound with explosive force before it exploded.

The real Devalan fell to his knees, coughing up a small blood. He glared amount at Kakashi, disbelief evident in his eye and on his face. "How the hell did you do that? And what kind of jutsu was that?!"

Kakashi chuckled. "It's a jutsu that I found in this castle. In one of the tombs. Although I burned the scroll, I still remember the jutsu effect and how it's executed. In short, I attack your blood circulation. If I had hit the real you with it, you would be dead or be in a very bad condition. When you use a Shadow Clone and then dispel the jutsu, the clone's experience is transferred back to you. Something similar happened here. But also a little of the damage I dealt through the chakra I attacked you with was transferred. A nasty jutsu, don't you think? There are few who have mastered this jutsu, and I'm like a genin compared to them. The two greatest users of this jutsu could do 251 and 503 strikes in one go. Imagine how you would feel if I had dealt that many blows. But I can't. I don't have the strength, nor the speed or skill to do such a thing. And… ARGHH!"

Kakashi had been standing still for too long, and Shredkill's attack hit him; a great surge of lightning and wind-natured chakra had been fired simultaneously from Shredkill's hands and was inflicting massive damage on Kakashi, as his flesh was slowly peeled of.

Shredkill laughed. "You didn't see this one coming, did you?! Since the lightning and wind are being used simultaneously, they amplify each other." He walked towards Kakashi, increasing his attack power, making Kakashi scream in pain. He motioned for Devalan to finish off Kakashi.

Devalan nodded and charged. However: Shredkill's eyes went wide behind his mask. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

Kakashi was back on his feet and was forming seals; although with great trouble due to the pain, seeing that his flesh was ripped away some places, especially his arms, giving a clear view of his bones. The series ended in the tiger seal. His voice was low, but more than enough. To invoke the jutsu.

"Fire Element: Hades' Shield!"

Devalan laughed. "Fool! Do you forget that I can nullify Fire Element jut… WHAT THE HELL??!!"

A gigantic pillar of flames soared upwards and in a 20 feet broad circle around Kakashi. The pillar smashed a large hole in the ceiling, putting it aflame. But what really surprised Devalan wasn't the size of the flame shield. It was the colour. Green flames that consumed Devalan's flames as he tried to stop the shield from expanding. Devalan jumped backwards and managed to get out of the circle's range as it stopped expanding, before it disappeared. He glared at Kakashi. How could that silver-haired bastard be so strong? The area that the shield had covered was nothing more than a large and 5 feet deep crater with scorned stones. Furthermore, it had broken Shredkill's jutsu instantly. And it withstood and repelled his attack. Kakashi hadn't been lying: He was indeed stronger than Itachi. He glanced at Shredkill who nodded. They both charged.

Kakashi panted. That move had drained him for about ¾ of his remaining chakra. He couldn't believe what had occurred. He had used that jutsu once before, but back then it had been normal flames and the shield had only a diameter of 1 or 2 feet and it hadn't caused a tenth of the destruction this one had. He looked at his hands. He couldn't believe it. Even the Nine-Tails' chakra granted him that kind of power. But he would have to think about that later, seeing both Devalan and Shredkill were charging. He had seen how Shredkill did his jutsu. Kakashi channelled chakra into both hands and thrust them fast forward.

Immediately a powerful surge of lightning-natured chakra was fired from his hands; but it wasn't blue: It was green.

Devalan shouted in surprise and tried to teleport away. However, some of the lightning graced him and he was dragged by it with incredible force backwards, until he was slammed into the wall.

Shredkill jumped to the side and lashed out at Kakashi with his right arm. However, Kakashi blocked it with his left, although he yelled out in pain. Nonetheless, he took a firm grip around Shredkill's arm with his left hand and raised his right for an attack.

Shredkill merely smirked. "And what do you plan on doing with that arm. Look at yourself. You're barely standing. And don't forget; my armour will repel that lightning jutsu of yours. Now… Die, you worth…. WHAT??!"

Kakashi blinked. He had seen Shredkill raise his left fist, saw it start moving and then… it stopped. Then he noticed. A shadow formed as an arm was holding and struggling to keep the arm where it was.

Kakashi chuckled between his gasp for air. "Perfect timing… Shikamaru. And Shredkill… I've more than my Raikiri. This jutsu… was invented by sensei… the Fourth Hokage. And… it seems to me that my last jutsu disrupted the flow of chakra around your armour. True, I can't hit you with lightning based jutsus. And since my other arm is occupied for the moment…I can't form seals. However… this jutsu doesn't require any seals, as it's made of pure chakra."

Shredkill's eyes widened as he saw chakra starting to gather and spin violently in a sphere in Kakashi's right hand. Kakashi was right. The chakra flow around his armour had been disrupted. And such a concentrated attack of pure chakra was going to hurt, no matter where Kakashi hit.

Kakashi locked eyes Shredkill. "Take this, you bastard…"

---

Sakura gasped when she saw Shikamaru's shadow grab Shredkill's arm in the last second. But her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the spinning sphere of chakra in Kakashi's hand. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. "Naruto… that jutsu. Isn't that…?"

Naruto's eyes went wide too. "What? It can't be… Kakashi-sensei can use…"

"RASENGAN!"

"Rasengan?!"

Disbelief was evident in Naruto's voice, eyes and on his face when he saw Kakashi thrust the Rasengan straight into Shredkill's face. They saw Shredkill being hurled through the air by the impact, just to hit the wall with a loud CRAAACK as he fell to the ground. But all of them widened their eyes even more when they saw Shredkill stagger to his feet again, apparently just being a little dizzy. Kakashi however didn't hesitate. He began, although he did it slowly because of the pain, to form all twelve seals in alphabetic order (English names), then reversed, then from the middle of them to the last six, then from the middle to the first five. But before he formed the last seal, the seal to focus chakra and before he spoke the name of the jutsu, he stopped, broke the chain of seals and paled. Reason: Deidara attacked. Not him, but the others.

---

Deidara saw his chance to get all of the youngsters in one go, as he noticed how they were focusing on Kakashi and standing in one big group. He quickly formed eight of his fastest birds and threw them at the youngsters. They were bound to make contact. He laughed and yelled. "Art is a bla… WHAT?!"

---

Sakura saw the incoming birds and threw herself over Naruto, trying her best to shield him from harm. She closed her eyes, as she prepared for the pain and, most likely, death to grip her. But it never came. The explosions came, but nothing else. Or did there? She felt something hard hit her and she had heard a familiar sound before the explosions. She had feared that sound in the past, but now she was certain she had heard it again. But she had thought it was her imagination that played a trick on her. But then she heard Deidara yell in fury and then a low, monotone voice speaking up from the gate.

"It has been some time… Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha."

Then she heard Sasuke whisper. "You?"

She opened her eyes and glanced at the person standing in the gate. She couldn't believe her eyes. And she wasn't the only one.

Deidara paled slightly when he saw the boy with red-brown hair, pale green eyes, and the character for love over his left eye. Deidara's voice was low. "This can't be! You should be dead! How can you possible be alive?! And what are you doing here?!"

Kakashi sighed and ventured a glance at the gate. "So my message reached you, Lord Kazekage?"

As Gaara stepped into the room, sand started to swirl around him and he looked at Deidara. "I've come because I owe the Leaf Village. And I've an old score to settle with you."

The Akatsuki members tensed. The battle was about to reach a new level.

End chapter 13


	15. Chapter 15: Chapter 14 part 1

AN: I got an anonymous review that I deleted. Reviews (verified and anonymous alike) that tell me what people like and don't like are always welcomed. I accept, even respect people who tell me they won't continue reading because there is something in the story they don't like (OOC, OC, power-boosts, you name it.) However, insulting me by calling me stuff because people don't like the story won't be welcomed. If anonymous, such reviews will be deleted. That being said, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 14: Explosive Battle Conclusion: Gaara and Kakashi vs. Akatsuki! Part 1/3

Deidara glared at Gaara, trying to understand what he saw. A Jinchuuriki died when the Bijuu had been extracted. And Gaara was certainly dead the last time he saw him. But here he was, standing with crossed arms, and his gourd on his back. However, something was new. Deidara suddenly noticed that Gaara was wearing a green combat vest like Kakashi's.

Deidara glared at Gaara and spoke.

"How can you still be alive?? Answer me!"

Gaara merely glared at him. His voice was cold, making sure no misunderstanding would occur. "You don't need to know. And as I said, I've an old score to settle with you and this time…" more sand flew from the gourd. "it won't go as it did last time."

Deidara frowned. Then he smirked. "We will see about that. You don't have as much sand as you did last time, uhm. And this time I won't have to take you alive. I'm free to kill you, hmm!"

Naruto looked at Gaara. He couldn't understand what was going on. It was evident in his voice. "Gaara… shouldn't you be in the Sand Villlage?? How did you find us? And this place? How did you get through that trap filled area? And he is right… he is free to kill you, since you no longer host a Bijuu. And… does the sand stilll protect you automatically?"

Gaara merely looked at Naruto and answered calmly. "No, the sand doesn't protect me anymore. I have to do that myself now." When he saw Naruto pale a little more, he smiled. "Naruto Uzumaki: Do you think I've relaxed since the last time we met? If that is what you are thinking, you're wrong. I've trained hard. I have come up with a few jutsus and improved the ones I already had. Although my chakra level has dropped, I still have considerable more than average sninobi. And I understand a little more about bonds through my training. Being able to feel joy, frustration, sorrow. And to have friends to help you overcome and share that… Being willing to sacrifice your life for the persons precious to you… that is what true friendship is about. I had Temari, Baki, and Kankurou spare with me every day; even the old counsellor. About getting here: I had already left the village on my way to the Leaf Village, when one of Kakashi-san's dogs found me; it lead me to a tunnel that I followed. Before I left, I convinced Matsuri to disguise herself as me; and Ebizou to help her while I'm gone." Gaara looked at Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, Naruto and Sakura. Then he sighed. "Go. You're in the way. However; you can't go through the tunnel. It collapsed just as I got out. Most likely due to the shakes of your fighting here."

Naruto and Sakura started to shout at once. "No way in hell we are leaving you to fight those guys alone!" "It will be five against two! You can't match that!"

"Sakura! Get Naruto on his feet and get the hell out of here! Gaara is right, you will only be in our way! Neji and Shikamaru are nearing their limits; Naruto can't fight now, even if his shin has been mended. And you can't fight those lizards alone. Sasuke! If you want to start making up for what you have done, then you go too. They will need one to fend off the enemies in case you're followed. Sakura! They will need you for treatment." Kakashi noticed the dog standing behind Gaara. "Runner: You know my system. Guide them through."

The greyhound merely nodded. Kakashi took off his backback and shoved his book into it. And with great effort and pain, he tossed it to Sakura. His voice was weak, yet audible. "Sakura: Get out of here… don't worry about me. Make sure Naruto will make it, and keep him from rushing back here. His clothes are in there as well. All of you, make sure you follow the exact track that Runner makes. Otherwise you will get a big and bad surprise. And now… time to fight."

Sakura put on Kakashi's backpack and hoisted Naruto to his feet by his left arm. Once on his feet, Sakura put an arm around his shoulders, providing support. She and the others took off with Runner in the lead, but as they glanced back a last time, before they exited through the gate, they saw Kakashi form the same seals as he did when Deidara attacked, without breaking the chain. They heard him spoke the jutsu's name.

"Jinchuuriki jutsu: Silver Demon Fox's Cloak - One Tail!"

The shockwave that arose when the cloak formed shook the walls, causing stones from the floor to fly thruogh the air and burning timber from the ceiling to fall down. All of the spikes were wiped away and the Leaf ninja and Sasuke were almost thrown to the ground by the force. Sakura and Naruto gasped in awe.

A cloak of the Nine-Tails chakra had enveloped Kakashi and he looked like Naruto when the first tail appeared. Except that this cloak had a trace of silver in it, and released a steady amount of electricity. Moreover, the flesh and muscles on his arm were being regenerated, making him look like his former self. Except that his pupil was nothing more than a slit, and the three commaes had been straigthened a bit. He glared at the Akatsuki members. His voice was low, but it had turned into a feral snarl. "Time to end this."

---

Naruto was, to say the least, confused at they watched through the gate. His voice was barely a whisper.

"Kakashi-sensei… how… when... How is this possible? How can he copy that?! He isn't an Jinchuuriki too, is he?"

Sakura looked at Naruto and shook her head. "No Naruto, he isn't an Jinchuuriki. We don't when or how this is possible. I think we better…"

"OY! Didn't you hear Kakashi?! Move your butts, you lazy blockheads!"

Runner's barking voice got all of their attention, and they sped off; Sasuke took up position in the rear alongside Neji, making sure they wouldn't get caught by surprise. But they didn't move far.

---

"Time to end this."

Devalan cursed and a low growl erupted from his throat. "Murdgaki and Blackrose: Move it. Find The Leader and the others and tell them about this. In your current state, you're strong. But when you transform, your intelligence drop. You won't last long against these two. NOW, GO!"

The lizards hissed and made a run for it. They threw themselves through some of the holes Kakashi had made and ran at full speed.

Kakashi and Gaara didn't bother trying to stop them. And soon explosions and curses could be heard, but they didn't die as the traps were triggered. Kakashi took a step forward, casuing Shredkill and Devalan to jump backwards. Kakashi chuckled slightly. "Now now there. No need for that. And Shredkill: Why don't you drop that helmet? I think we have met before."

Shredkill merely snarled and lightning and wind-natured chakra enveloped his armour. "Have we? I doubt it. If we had, you would be dead."

Kakashi merely chuckled as he noticed a thick layer of flames starting to engulf Devalan; this would be their most intense battle. He locked eyes with Shredkill and spoke, mocking him. "You don't remember me? How disappointing. But I guess that isn't surprising. After all: It isn't fun getting beaten by a six-years-old boy. Especially when you were thirteen or fourteen." As he saw a flicker of anger behind the mask, he took it a step further. "Think back. The Chuunin Exam, 24 years ago in the Sand Villlage. It was the final match. Your opponent was a little boy with silver hair. Do you…"

"WHAT??!! THAT BOY… WAS YOU?!"

Shredkill's shout of fury made the walls shake. Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, it was me. I recognized you by those chakra shurikens. Although you wasn't as good with them back then. Oh well. It doesn't matter. Soon you, Devalan and Deidara over there will just be a bad memory. LET'S FIGHT!"

Shredkill, Devalan and Kakashi moved with blinding speed and clashed at the halfway. The impact of their collision caused a shockwave of dimensions to rise, sending stones, dust, flames and lightning in every direction as they engaged each other in a fierce taijutsu fight; furthermore, when they met, a pillar of the same size as when Kakashi used the green flames, erupted, destroying everything in its path. And every time they made a kick or punch that were blocked, flames and ligthing flew in every direction. And soon the hall was burning, its walls were full of holes to match a sieve. It was a wonder it was still standing.

Gaara and Deidara hadn't moved an inch; and they didn't move as the flames and lightning flew around their heads. Suddenly, Deidara started chuckling.

"How delightful! I can fight you without taking you alive and you don't have the advantage of being at your homeground this time around, hm! What will you do without that vast amount of sand to help you, hm?"

Just as Gaara was about to respond, a eagle flew through the gate and landed on his shoulder. Gaara stroke it feathers while it seemed to be whispering something into his ear. He nodded and it puffed out of existence in a small cloud of smoke. Gaara eyed Deidara and noticed that he was about to attack.

"It seems my little disappearence has been revealed. I better finish this, get my friend back to his village and return to my own."

"Like hell you will! You're about to die, hm!"

Two snakes flew from the mouths in Deidara's hand and in matter of seconds. But as Deidara was about relive, Gaara wasn't the Kazekage for nothing. Deidara smirked as he saw his entangled opponont and was about to detonate his art, when Gaara broke free by releasing chakra, rendering the explosives useless. And before Deidara had the chance to try anything again, Gaara threw a couple of shurikens at Deidara, aiming for his head. Deidara dodged with ease and chuckled.

"Not even close, hm!"

Gaara remained silent and did the same as when Deidara detonated his explosives. Deidara eyes went wide as he saw three senbons coming for him. As Gaara formed the seal, the senbons transformed into explosive tags and went off less than a metre from Deidara. Deidara barely managed creating a bird made of clay, about the same size he used last time, and get on top of it before some of Gaara's sand came at him, trying to crush him. Instead it blew a hole in the wall, while Deidara hovered 5 metres above the floor, staring at Gaara, who merely returned the gaze. Deidara smirked.

"Did I forget to mention? With these two arms, I have unlimitied clay for my art, and it no longer takes as much time as it used to. Hehe. In other words, you are in disadvantage."

Another onslaught from Gaara's sand send Deidara towards the ceiling. First now he realized that there was a hole big enough for his bird to fly through. He launched three fast birds towards Gaara and flew towards the ceiling. Gaara, however, had other ideas. Clasping his hands together, two arms of sand formed and crashed the birds and the explosions. Then the arms flew for Deidara, but he managed to get through the hole, although a bit more roughly than he intended as the hands more or less smashed some of the bird through the ceiling and another part through the hole. After being pushed 100 metres upwards, Deidara rubbed his head and glared through the hole. How his bird managed to get through that and still be okay was beyond him. The he saw their former opponents, 400 metres away in the direction from where Akatsuki had entered. He smirked.

"Guess I better fetch the next Jinchuuriki again and get him away from the Leaf. Otherwise our leader is gonna be really pissed." He started to fly in their direction when something below him got his attention. He gasped as some of the smoke was blasted away, Gaara rocketing upwards on something. Before Deidara managed to do anything, Gaara was facing him 10 metres away.

Gaara locked eyes with Deidara and with a cold voice. "Let me enjoy this a little more. I'm not done with you yet. Entertain me."

Deidara glared at Gaara, then at the thing he was standing on. His jaw dropped slightly at the sight. "You gotta be kidding me."

---

Gaara saw from below Deidara stopping his way upwards as the sand fell towards the ground. He saw him starting to move. Gaara frowned lightly and looked around. Kakashi and his oppononts were no longer anywhere to be seen. He frowned deeper. Although he knew aerial battles weren't his forte, he had no choiche. Besides, he had wanted to try this since he now was able to do it. He bit his right thumb, allowing a small trickle of blood to accumulate and mumbled as he formed the hand seals. When he was done, he thrust his palm into the ground.

"Summoning jutsu!"

A minor explsoion erupted, as the summoned creature appeared. When the smoke disspersed, an eagle about the same size as the bird Deidara flew on appeared. The feathers covering its body were black and brown, while its tail feathers and head were white as snow. It had some very long claws, and its beak was strong, looking ready to snap an arm any day a week. Its eyes were amber, and held a hard edge of pride in them.

Gaara jumped onto its back and spoke softly.

"Nice to see you again. It has been a long time, Tesaki."

Tesaki, apparently a female, turned her head slightly and spoke with a high chirping voice. "Long time no see, Lord Kazekage. Why did you summon me?"

"My opponont is airborne. I need to fight him up there, and I can't use my sand as I will need it for attack."

Tesaki nodded once, spread her vings and soared upwards, disspersing the smoke as she went. Gaara noticed Deidara's flabbergasted expression as he soared for him, and then he was in front him. Gaara spoke with a cold voice as he locked eyes with Deidara.

"Let me enjoy this a little more. I'm not done with you yet. Entertain me."

Gaara noticed how Deidara glared at him, and noticed how his jaw dropped when he saw the eagle.

Deidara's voice had an edge of disbelief in it.

"You gotta be kidding me."

Gaara chuckled slightly. "Not at all. What you see is Tesaki. Now, time to show you another of my tricks."

Deidara sped upwards and backwards as Gaara moved his hands with incredible speed. The sand that had been left where there they had been fighting before flew through the ceiling, causing it to fell apart. Once up, it started swirling in front of Gaara. Gaara swiftly opened the pockets in the front of his vest, causing scrolls to fall out. Suddenly, chakra strings flew from his fingertips, attaching themselves to the scolls, making them hover in thin air. Deidara merely stared, but he paled slightly when Gaara unwrapped all of the scrolls with a nonchalant move by his hand. All of the scrolls unwrapped themselves till they were completely unwrapped, and the pole they were wrapped around fell towards the ground. What really made Deidara pale were the characthers on each scroll, saying sand and scroll. The scrolls had barely been unwrapped before sand were blown from them, and 5 scrolls from each. The same thing with those scrolls and so it continued about 50 times, and soon a vast amount of sand hovered in front of Gaara.

Gaara took of the vest and tossed it away. With one hand seal, he transformed the vest into a big scroll, unwrapped to its full length by a lazy move with the hand, causing sand and 10 small scrolls to appear. Those scrolls repeated the process as the others had, although they only did it 20 times. Finally, he turned his gourd into sand as well.

Gaara locked eyes with Deidara, who's eyes were wide, and spoke in his normal slow and monotone voice.

"You didn't think I would come unprepared, did you?"

Deidara cursed his luck. He remembered his last fight with Gaara, and this time he hadn't the advantage of threatingen to destroy a village. And by the looks of it, Gaara's ability to manipulate sand hadn't dropped by much. This was going to be a tough fight. For Deidara had a feeling telling him that Gaara had more surprises in store for him. Gaara made a move with his hand, and sand flew towards Deidara. The fight had begun.

---

Kakashi, Devalan and Shredkill were in a fierce taijutsu fight, and they had barely noticed that they had left the hall. They were now standing in a small valley, surrounded by towering cliffs and a huge lake. There were craters anywhere, mostly caused by the recent battle taking place.

Kakashi panted as they broke apart again. Shredkill's armour was tough, but what really made Kakashi frown was the fact that Shredkill was partly able to dodge every attack.

And Devalan's teleportation ability and his vast amount of chakra was more than dangerous. Kakashi had barely managed getting away from his lethal blows more than once. He wondered how Gaara was doing.

"Fire Element: Inferno Wave jutsu!"

Kakashi jumped out of the way when the gigantic wave of fire launched from Devalan blew towards him.

"Lightning Element: Thunderbolt Barrage jutsu!"

Kakashi cursed his luck before taking the full grunt of Shredkill's attack. He felt an incredible pain as the bolts made contact and he was hurled through rocks. He felt the Cloak dissipating and saw his opponentes making their way for him, ready to deliver the final blow. Just as Kakashi was bracing himself himself for death, images started flowing in his mind. All the faces were smilling. He started mumbling.

"Well, it seems this is it for me. Obito… sorry, I should have taken better care of Itachi and Rin after your death. And I'm sorry for being such an idiot. In every possible way Rin; forgive me. I knew the Uchiha clan targeted me because of my Sharingan. They wouldn't accept the Third's nor the Fourth's decision. I'm sorry for ignoring your love for me for such a long time. We had been together for two months when it happened. How old were we, 15 or 16? Perhaps I was 17 and you 16? And we had sex the night before you did it. Hey, where the fuck did that come from? That night, you took my ANBU mask and my place. I woke up and saw you were missing. You took the blade that was meant for me. I only remember the man having a middle developed Sharingan, but I couldn't fight him, because I was trying to hurry back to village so you could be healed. You died in my arms. I never found your killer. Heh. And just as I failed you, I failed my next team too. I couldn't prevent Sasuke from leaving the Leaf in his quest for power. And now that he seems to be willing to return, I'm more than tempted to throttle him. Heh, if I survive this that is. Sakura: You are no longer the little boy- obsessed girl you used to be. You've grown into a fine kunoichi that will surpass your master someday. I remember the old days; you were so timid and nervous around Sasuke and Naruto. Always you kept thinking that you were going to be left behind by those two. Well, I will say that you have caught up to them. You were always the best at controlling your chakra. I'm so proud when I see how you have developed. Minato-sensei… I let you down. In every possible way. I got Obito killed on my first mission as a squad leader. Two or three years later, I failed Rin and she got killed in my place; the first girl I ever felt anything for and vowed to protect. How pathetic am I? I carried her home from that mission. The rain fell; it was a downright downpour. Her body seemed so small with that wound in her chest. I failed you when you trusted your son under mine and Master Jiraiya's care. We only did what we thought would be best for him. After seeing how he have been treated, being beaten by the villagers and other stuff, I wish I had acted different. Giving him money to pay for power, water, rent and food is totally unacceptable. And the council wouldn't accept my offer of letting him stay with me in my apartment.

Naruto… the number one ninja in surprising people. I remember every bloodt time I saved you from the villagers and other sninobi; when you was kicked out of the orphanage, how old was you, five years? I carried you home to my apartment and treated your wounds. You were out cold for 4 days with high fever. You never saw my face back than, nor my hair since it was hidden under my hood. This repeated itself until I bought you that apartment when you turned 7. How you survived until then is still beyond me. But you never gave up. You kept going. You were this little kid that just kept going with a smile. I was always watching your back from a distance, making sure no furhter harm came to you. Why do you think that every time you were beaten a month afterwards, just to stop a month later, people ended up in the hospital? Because I taught them a lesson. Then you became a genin. I can't say how proud I was. But I was forced to treat you the way I did in the beginning, because I couldn't risk you being removed from my team. And here we are, 16 years after the attack where you lost your father and I lost my sensei. And once again, I'm too late. I should have unleashed my new powers before this. Now, Naruto… what would you have done? What would you do if you were the one fighting these two?"

He was silent for moment. Then it came to him. That goofy smile of his blond student, just as his opponents jumped into the air, just to descend with violent speed.

"I know what you would do; you would keep fighting, stubborn as you are. And so will I! Heh, it seemed you have taught me that: Keep fighting, no mattter how dire the situation may seem. Naruto, I will get you the out of these bastards hands, and out of this cursed place, if it is the last thing I do!"

Kakashi formed the chakra focus seal and shouted, determination hard as steel in his voice.

"Jinchuuriki jutsu: Silver Demon Fox's Cloak – Two Tails!"

Devalan and Shredkill was taken by surprise, as an explosion and shockwave greater than the first erupted. They were furthermore blinded by the dome of energy that erupted a Before Devalan could focus chakra to his teleportation, a large hand made of glowing chakra with something similar to claws soared towards him, smashed him violently upwards before grapping him tightly. Then, in the fraction of a second, Kakashi was 10 metres away from, a feral snarl with pointy teeth to be seen behind the mask; the arm holding seemed to be an expansion of his left. Kakashi growled, and with one quick move with his left arm, Devalan was drawn forcefully towards him, just to be met by another expanded arm that was curled into a fist on the halfway. Devalan was hurled through air with such force that he couldn't manage to focus chakra for teleportation. He hit the surface of the water with such force that he felt like every bone in his body would break from the impact. But he wasn't that easy to get rid of. He quickly resurfaced and stood gracefully on top of the water, panting heavily. He hissed through gritted teeth.

"That punch… freaking… hurt. So did the… impact. I need… to rest for… a couple… of minutes."

He had barely said that, before he fell to his knees. "Okay. Perhaps more than a couple of minutes."

---

Shredkill stared in awe as he watched the punches Devalan took. He landed a couple of metres away from where Kakashi had been. He heard the loud splash in the distance. He sighed and cursed.

"Damn it all! Where the heck did Hatake get all of that power from?! And… hmm… what is this shadow?" He looked up. "SHIIITT!!"

He hadn't had time to jump away as two large hands made of chakra, clasped together into one big fist, came crushing down upon him. He quickly focused chakra to his head and arms, bracing himself for the devastating impact. The hands came crushing down upon him with more force than a waterfall. He was hammered several metres into rock beneath him, and stones flew upwards together with dust. It was like being in an explosion.

The hands withdraw, letting Shredkill loose of the pressure.

He panted hard.

"That was close. Too close. One second earlier and I would have been done for. And my armour isn't too good anymore."

Indeed, his armour was battered. It was filled with dents, and after this latest attack, it looked like it had been heated more than good was. Red glowing and hot several places. He cursed under his breath.

"Better get out of here. Before another blow is dealt. You can keep the jinchuuriki for now if you want, Hatake. He is worthless anyway. But we will get him eventually. But I must admit I'm impressed. You've come closer to destroying this armour than anyone else. And that says a lot, considering the special way I have made it. Oh well, better get moving."

Shredkill reenhanced his armour with chakra again and jumped out of the hole. Big mistake. He felt an enourmous amount of killing intent to his left. He looked to his left and felt his eyes widen.

Kakashi was coming for him, having two tails and a murderous look in his eye. But what really shocked him was the two big spinning spheres of red and white chakra Kakahsi held. One in each hand. From the report Itachi had been forced to give about his previous encounters with Naruto, Shredkill would guess that those two spheres were as big as the one Naruto used against Itachi when Itachi was to delay the Leaf Ninja.

Shredkill jumped backwards and cursed. "Shit…"

"DUAL DEMONIACAL RASENGANS!"

Kakashi brought his hands together in one swift move, causing the rasengans to hit each other. Shredkill jumped backwards, so he avoided the full effect of the impact. But he was still caught by about 70% of the attack, and he felt that this was it. He channeled even more chakra to his armour. All this was done in a fraction of a second.

BRRRAAAAAOOOOOAAARROOOMMM!

The shockwave was incredible, but it was nothing compared to the explosion and effect. A dome of pure energy appeared in matter of seconds, destroying anything in its way. Stone and dust were blown in all directions, and the smoke could be seen from far away, as a large cloud of white and black smoke drifted upwards.

Kakashi didn't care about that and he didn't notice the dark cloud approaching with a storm in them, as he stood panting heavily on the edge of a huge smoking crater, tails and cloak disappearing. He eyed the crater and narrowed his eye.

The crater was circular, about 60 feet in diameter and about 15 feet deep. The stones in it were completely black, scorned by the chakra. His laboured breath became more steady as he clustched his midriff and sides, almoust doubling over due to pain and slightly exhaustion. He mumbled out his thought aloud.

"How the hell can Naruto bear with this pain? But I guess it's because he is a true jinchuuriki. Better hurry back and help the Kazekage so that we can get the hell out of here."

"I've got to admit Hatake… that freaking hurt. If I hadn't moved when I did and hardened my armour with chakra… that would have been the end of me."

Kakashi's head snapped up at the sound of Shredkill's voice, coming from the bottom of the crater, on the side farthest away from Kakashi. Kakashi narrowed his eye as he saw Shredkill bend over and pick up three things from the ground. But he could see that Shredkill's armour had been torn apart and he no longer wore it. Shredkill jumped up and landed gracefully on the edge of the chakra opposite Kakashi. When the smoke finally cleared, Kakashi finally saw how his opponont really looked like. He wore the usual Akatsuki outfit, and Kakashi wondered how Shredkill had been keeping himself from overheating. He had pale skin and he seemed to have lost his ring. That was till Kakashi noticed the thing in his left hand: it was the right iron glove, still with the white ring attached to its middle finger. Apparently the ring hadn't suffered any damage at all. His hair was black and resembled the hair of a guy named Severus Snape from a movie Kakashi had seen. His face was thin and held no mercy in it folds. For some reason his eyes were closed. If Kakashi was to judge, he would say the man was in his forties.

Shredkill sighed and the glove fell apart he channeled a little chakra through. He picked up the ring and placed it on his right middle finger. "Damn you Hatake. To think that your fury would be enough to destroy my armour. Very impressive."

Kakashi frowned. "It wasn't mine fury alone. My love for the people precious to me helped too."

Shredkill shrugged and the dark clouds were suddenly above them. "Whatever you say Hatake. It doesn't really matter to me what broke my armour. I thought it was impossible. You see, my armour is made of the weapons and dear belongings to my victims. To make it stronger, I infuse it with the pain, horror and discomfort I inflict on my victims. I simply take a little of their blood and chakra, smear and infuse it over their weapons, and then I reforge them. This armour should be invincible and unable to fall apart. Even with these two to supply it with an incredible amount of chakra, because of the pain I inflicted on her before I killed her, you still managed to destroy it. Quite a feat." He sighed and held out his right hand, but didn't show Kakashi what he held in it. Then he spoke. "She was a cute girl. 15 or 16 years old. Perfect forms.I easily owerpowered her. Then…" he smirked. "I raped her. You should have heard her screams. It enhanced my armour many times. When I was done, stabbed her in the chest and left her to die. I remember a boy came by, just to carry her away. He seemed to be in a hurry."

Shredkill slowly opened his eyes and his fist, revealing what he held. Kakashi was shocked when he saw two completely developed Sharingans staring at him, although they had a trace of blue-grey in in them. But when he saw what Shredkill was holding, his heart, time and everything else seemed to stop. The first bold of lightning illuminated the sky, and Kakashi was able to see the necklace and bracelet. He still saw them after the lightning, because they both had chakra in them, making them glow in the dark.

The necklace was a thin chain of purple and green pearls, and some letters shined brightly with a red glow: T7, MS, OU, KH and Rin.

The necklace was made of silver, and it had red letters shining even brighter than the bracelet. Although they made a message instead: Kaka 'Wolf' Hatake and Rin 4ever.

Both had belonged to Rin.

Will be continued in part 2

____

AN: I know people will say Kakashi is overpowered. His power-boosts will be explained later.


	16. Chapter 16: Chapter 14 part 2

Chapter 14: Explosive Battle Conclusion: Gaara and Kakashi vs. Akatsuki! Part 2/3: 

Kakashi felt his heart stop beating for a second. He felt like time no longer existed. When he found Rin in the puddle of blood 13 or 14 years ago, he hadn't noticed that the necklace and bracelet were missing. He never found out who killed her, except that the killer had the Sharingan. That was partly why he had no qualms whatsoever with assisting Itachi in wiping out the Uchiha clan years later. He figured that way there was a chance that he could kill Rin's murderer. Revenge: Pure and simple revenge. But no, he never found the culprit. Itachi wanted him to make sure Sasuke didn't show up doing the massacre. What a pity. He would have loved strangling them all, but Itachi had insisted that they followed their plan. And here he was, years later, staring at the man who killed his first love. The man that caused him to become the merciless ANBU 'Wolf´', killing without hesitation. It was first when he became the jounin sensei for Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura he stopped being in the ANBU. He failed every one else, because they weren't cut out to be sninobi. Their teamwork was miserable, they fell into every trap he set up, and they simply couldn't think beyond the normal and see underneath the underneath. Moreover, they couldn't take the test serious. In the meaning they didn't come at him like they were going to kill him. After failing them, he returned to the ANBU. But now, he had found the culprit. He was standing there, glaring at him with those cold eyes. Then, he felt different emotions boil in his veins. Anger, hate, grief, murderous intent, and strangely enough, happiness. Happiness he finally had found the man who killed the woman he loved. But he felt absolutely no guilt for killing innocent Uchihas. If there was such a thing by now anyway. Kakashi wanted to yell a lot of thing at Shredkill, but the only thing that came over his lips were barely audible.

"How can this be possible? Itachi wiped out the Uchiha clan."

Shredkill merely chuckled and started fooling around with the bracelet and necklace. Tossing them into the air just to catch them again.

"Itachi merely killed the ones in the Hidden Leaf Village. But the ones in the Hidden Cloud Village survived. And they are still alive as far I'm concerned."

"What? Uchihas living in the Hidden Cloud? How? When? I've never heard about that."

Shredkill merely laughed. "Of course you Haven't. You weren't even born back then. But I guess I can tell you, since you're about to die anyway." He cleared his throat and chuckled slightly. "About 50 years ago, ten Uchihas left the Leaf Village. I don't know why, and I couldn't care less. Seven died during the trip. Not so weird though, considering it was winter and they were exhausted from outrunning Uchihas and the early ANBU from the Leaf. But the ones who survived and managed to reach the Cloud Village were more than welcomed in it. The Uchihas in the Cloud Village married and had children with the ninjas in the Cloud Village. Mostly people with powerful Bloodline Limits. I'm the result of such a marriage. I have both the Uchiha's Bloodline Limit and the Volt Clan's: The ability to control lightning and manipulate metal. Not like the Third Kazekage though; I can create metal and manipulate it, but it has to be my own. That's why I couldn't stop you from using your swords before. But it appears my Bloodline Limit from the Volt clan weakens the Sharingan. My Sharingans aren't as powerful as the Itachi's. But the Volt clan's is just as strong in me as in a full blood member. In other words, it seems mixing two Bloodline Limits is a bad idea. But the people with the Sharingan in Hidden Clouds Village are the elite. But they weren't strong enough to fight the Uchihas in the Leaf. I don't think the Uchihas in the Leaf Village ever reported what happened to the Hokage though. The ANBU never realized they were hunting Uchihas."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. He thought back to that night he and Itachi killed the Uchiha clan. Although he only could remember it because the jutsu from that night was broken.

-Flashback start-

They were standing in Kakashi's apartment. Kakashi took of his ANBU mask and turned towards Itachi, as they both prepared for sealing away Kakashi's memory of this night.

"So Weasel. That was it."

Itachi sighed and turned to his mentor and former ANBU captain. Both wore their ANBU gear. "Not quite Wolf. There are still missing some. But I don't know where they are. This information is classified on the highest level within the Uchiha clan. Even the Hokage doesn't know this. But some Uchihas left the village years ago. I will see if I can find them. Just… just take care of Sasuke will you? Train him the best way you can… and I will keep this illness down as long as I can. At least until Sasuke can kill me in battle and thus gain the thrust of the elders. Also… keep an eye on Danzou. And…" a tear ran down Itachi cheek. "Don't tell Sasuke about any of this, just in case the jutsu is broken."

Kakashi looked at the younger man. Then he gave a curt and stiff nod. "I will protect Sasuke and train him. And I will keep an eye on Danzou. What about this organization? Akatsuki was it?"

Itachi sighed again. "I will join it and protect the Leaf from the inside. That way I will also be able to keep an eye on Orochimaru. You know as well I do that he desires the Sharingan. I will be able to keep him at bay, but Sasuke won't. Kakashi… please… make sure that Orochimaru never… gets his hand on Sasuke. I don't know if I… if I could take it if Sasuke was…"

Itachi broke down and let tears flow unchecked. Kakashi watched him for a moment before he pulled him into a firm hug and allowed him to cry into his shoulders. He spoke softly.

"I swear Itachi. I will do anything I can to keep Orochimaru away from Sasuke."

Itachi nodded weakly and pulled away. "Sorry Kakashi… I don't why I started crying there..."

Kakashi merely shook his head. "No need for apologizing Itachi Or to be ashamed for that matter. You are what… 14-15? It's only natural to cry. Even for one as strong as you."

Itachi nodded again, although with a slight frown. But his voice was weak. "How do you cope with it Kakashi? You've killed a lot of people. And you never seem to regret it. How?"

Kakashi let out a small sigh. "I don't regret it because I'm trained to. You have to understand Itachi; the times you and I grew up in are different. If only slightly. I have been in war as an active soldier. And although you've witnessed the horrors of war firsthand and seen the aftermath of a battle, you've never been on the battlefield the same way I have. You have only been in small skirmishes, while I've been on the battlefields while the fighting was worst." He let out a bitter sigh. "I don't know why the hell your father insisted on dragging you to one of those battlefields. But I do know you were far too young to see it back then. And it was shortly after Obito's death. You were what, 4 years old? I remember you spending the entire afternoon after those two days crying. I remember, because you came to my apartment while Rin and I were talking about how to deal with the Uchiha elders. As you know, they were strongly against me having the Sharingan. But we were also talking about a way to cheer you up. I remember you came, knocked on the door, with tears that you barely hold back. I remember you sat on Rin's lap, crying your heart out. You only stopped a little when I told you that I would train you in secret. And now I hope that you can find a little of that small boy underneath that hardened exterior of yours. Because that small boy, who said he would never use what I taught him to kill another person unless he was forced to, is the only thing that will prevent you from turning into a heartless killing machine like me. Although a more correct term, if I may say so, is demon."

Itachi nodded again. "I will Kakashi. And I haven't forgotten anything. Rin became my older sister that day. I miss her so much, but not more than you do. Heh, how many things can I call you now? Kakashi-san, Kakashi, Kakashi-sensei, Kakashi-senpai. But one word would be… friend. Now, shall we begin?"

Kakashi nodded. But just as he finished messing up his apartment, just in case ANBU or other tracked Itachi back to his place, and Itachi was about to begin forming the seals, Kakashi spoke up.

"Itachi: wait a minute. I've something for you."

Itachi looked puzzled as Kakashi pulled out two large scrolls from underneath his bed. One blue, one green. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Kakashi… what is this?"

Kakashi gave him one of his patented eye-smiles before he got serious. "The blue scroll contains a list and descriptions for about 50 different lethal diseases and how they are cured. The green scroll contains medicine for about 6 months for each of the illnesses. All provided from Lady Tsunade's private store."

Itachi looked completely stunned. "Kakashi… how… when?" Then he frowned. "Don't you think Lady Tsunade will be pissed about this? I mean, it's a lot of her private store."

Kakashi merely shrugged before a mischievous grin could be seen behind the mask. "More correctly, she is pissed." When he saw Itachi confused expression, he laughed. "I tracked her down last month. She was in a gambling town. We played poker, and I cleaned her out. When she and I was about to sign the IOU, I told her that she could pay me in a other way, and I made sure to explain her that I didn't want anything sexual. She told me that I should just name my prize. And this was my prize. You should have seen her, she looked like she was about to explode. When she was about to beat me to a pulp, I said that we had a lot of witnesses who had seen how much she lost to me. And I, perhaps I pushed it too far, said that I would tell her attendant about her private saké stores. She became white with fury, but she agreed in the end. And don't worry; this is just writing off, she still has the original. And as far I know she has begun refilling her store. Also… take these pills." He held out a small leather bag. When he saw Itachi's puzzled look, he sighed. "They will help you sleep. They will make sure your nightmares are kept down."

Itachi took the scrolls and the little leather bag with trembling hands. He locked eyes with Kakashi and murmured. "Thank you."

Kakashi grinned. "No problem. Shall we begin?"

Itachi nodded.

-End flashback.-

Kakashi had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't paid attention to Shredkill talking.

"…Fits for a worthless little who…"

"SHUT UP!"

Shredkill narrowed his eyes and glared at Kakashi. Stones were hovering around Kakashi and they continued to flow upwards. Shredkill had enough experience in battle to know that when stones started rising from the ground like that, the ninja doing is powerful and accumulating a lot of chakra. Shredkill narrowed his eyes further. Something wasn't right. He didn't feel chakra building up in Kakashi. His eyes went wide as plates and he jumped backwards.

FUOOOOUOOOMMM!

Kakashi couldn't take it any longer. When he heard what Shredkill said about Rin, he lost it.

"SHUT UP!"

Kakashi felt his killing intent building up at an incredible rate. He even scared himself. He saw Shredkill jump backwards as he let his entire killing intent roll of him.

FUOOOOUOOOMMM!

The killing intent was so intense it caused a shockwave. A shockwave that crushed boulders and created a gigantic wave of water as it went.

Shredkill panted as he landed again, almost trembling with fear.

"What a shockwave. And it was made of killing intent alone? Who is this guy? And… what the…?"

The ground beneath Kakashi was burning. Literally. Flames were spreading from Kakashi. They weren't big, but enough to make a lot of smoke. But what made Shredkill pale were the green-black flames licking around Kakashi's entire body. And they kept getting bigger. Apparently they didn't hurt Kakashi at all, and soon the fire was roaring against the thunder, roaring for dominance. Their peak was about 30 feet above Kakashi spiky hair. Then they settled down until he was engulfed by a thin layer.

Kakashi glared at Shredkill and each syllable he uttered dripped with venom.

"YOU… ARE… GOING… TO… PAY… FOR… WHAT… YOU… DID! WITH… YOUR… LIFE! I'M… GOING … TO… KILL… YOU!"

Kakashi moved with a speed that easily could rival Gai's and Lee's top speed. Shredkill felt a fist connect with his face, making him flying through the air over the water. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kakashi coming down for him, and was hit hard in the chest as Kakashi hit him with both hands clasped together. Shredkill spat some blood as he was hit and send down in the water with explosive strength, causing a new enormous wave to rise.

As Shredkill sank, he uttered curses and questions in his mind.

'What insane speed and strength. The Hokage's and Kisame's blows seem like gentle taps compared to this. And where the hell did that strength come from anyway?! Oh well, I will show why the Volt clan is feared, Hatake.'

Shredkill formed the snake, dog, horse, tiger and ox seals and prepared his counterattack.

"Damn it!"

Deidara and Gaara flew high in the air, avoiding lightning bolts every minute. It was dangerous, but they were hellbent on not letting the other forcing them down. Deidara formed five of his fastest birds and hurled them towards Gaara, just to make them explode before they hit their target, creating a lot of smoke. Gaara cursed under his breath as he saw Deidara flying towards the place where he had spotted Naruto.

"I don't think so. Tesaki, combo attack!"

Tesaki nodded her head as they gave pursuit. She gathered chakra in her belly and let out a shrilling squeak. "Wind Element: Compressed Air Ball!"

The attack was right on target, and Deidara seemed to sense it. He chuckled. "You will never hit me with that, hm!"

Gaara made a quick series of seals and drew his right hand to his mouth, narrowing gap between thumb and index.

"Fire Element: Mythical Firebird jutsu!"

Just as Gaara blew five or six small fireballs, Tesaki blew a stream of thin air at each of them, increasing their size tenfold. Deidara turned around, and paled considerably when he saw huge fireballs coming for him. He almost forgot the air ball, until he saw some shimmer in the air.

He barely dodged it as it hit the rocky ground, sending stone flying. And he barely missed the fireballs by flying upwards. The fireballs hit the cliffs with explosive force; the heat was so intense that it melted the rock some places. Deidara sighed and whistled.

"Phew, that was close."

"As close as this?"

Deidara jolted to a standing position and turned on his heels. Gaara was standing right behind him, and he hadn't sensed him at all! Furthermore, he couldn't see the eagle anywhere. Deidara cursed.

"Where the hell did you come from? And where are your oversized chicken, hm?"

Gaara didn't bother answering, and instead he launched a punch for Deidara's face that Deidara blocked with ease. Deidara clenched his right hand into a fist and punched for Gaara's face. Gaara ducked it and with one swift move with his left leg, swept Deidara off his feet. Or so he intended, for Deidara jumped. He landed behind Gaara, near his creation's tail. But just as he lashed out at Gaara, the latter bent forwards, supporting his weight on his hand, and aimed a kick backwards with his right foot. He smiled slightly with satisfaction as he heard Deidara grunt in pain, affirming he had hit his target. He turned around to see Deidara drift in air, like in slow-motion, over the bird's tail, with a footprint on his face. Deidara cursed as he sailed through the air.

As he began to fall, a snake made of clay flew from the mouth in his left hand, attaching itself to the bird's tail with his mouth and twisting it's tail around Deidara's wrist, preventing him from falling. As this happened, he formed three birds and hurled them at Gaara.

Deidara yelled in triumph.

"Now die, hmm! After all, my art is a blast, hm!"

Gaara quickly made backwards flip-flaps towards the clay birds head. Once standing on the edge of its head, he jumped backwards with full force, sending him floating in midair as he saw the birds coming. He waved his hand as Deidara detonated his birds; sand flew in between Gaara and the birds, shielding him from any harm. Deidara saw how Gaara fell and frowned slightly when he saw Gaara smirk. He frowned deeply when he saw Gaara form seals. But the frown was soon replaced by an expression of fear when he saw the two last seal: Horse and tiger.

"Shit…"

"Fire Element: Great Fireball jutsu!"

Gaara blew a ball of fire towards the bird as he fell. Deidara tried to manoeuvre his bird, but was shocked as he found out he couldn't. His shock didn't lessen when he saw why: Sand was wrapped tightly around its wings, legs and neck, disabling his control over his creation. The only thing that left Deidara's lips was.

"SHIIIIITTTT!!"

BOOOOOUUUMMM!!

Gaara landed gracefully on Tesaki as a huge cloud of fire appeared in the sky among the lightning bolts.

Tesaki sighed. "That did it Lord Kazekage. We can join the others now or help the other one fighting."

Gaara merely shook his head. "No Tesaki. He is still alive and able to fight."

Sagato raised an eye brow as the first wave hit his area; if it hadn't been for his cage, things could have gotten ugly. When the next one hit, he frowned deeply. Whoever Devalan and the others were fighting, they had to be strong. What worried him a little was the enormous murderous intent he felt and the green-black flames he had seen in the distance. Of course it was hard to see and determine they were flames due to the distance, but the way the light moved indicated it. But… it didn't explain the slight uneasiness he felt when he saw it. It felt more horrible than the chakra he felt when they were trying to extract the Nine-Tails. Who could possible possess such horrible chakra? Another, stronger demon that had been sealed recently? An unknown one? No, it couldn't be. However, he was abruptly pulled out of his musings when Murdgaki and Blackrose came running in their lizard forms. Although they looked rather battered. He raised an eyebrow when they transformed into their human forms. Their clothes had been torn several places, and they had several bleeding wounds.

He hissed at them.

"What are you doing here? I thought you two were fighting? But considering you're here, I really hope you have something to report. Like who Devalan and the others are fighting."

Murdgaki panted as he tried catching his breath. Only one word came over his lips. "Hatake."

Sagato felt waves and waves of killing intent roll of him at the mention of that name. His anger was barely contained as he hissed through gritted teeth. "What did you say? Is he and the brats alive?!"

Blackrose nodded as she tried to rein her fear. The massive amount of killing intent had shaken her to her core. "Yes my Lord. However… there is one more that is fairly powerful too."

Sagato frowned deeply, trying to keep his anger under control. "Who? I want the overview of this battle."

Murdgaki swallowed, also trying to rein his fear. "Hatake broke in and disrupted the extraction with one of his jutsus. He, the Nara kid and the boy from the Hyuuga clan engaged Devalan, Shredkill, Deidara Blackrose and myself in battle. The Sakura girl left the Jinchuuriki with the Nara boy so she could search for Itachi's brother. Devalan tried to intercept, but his attempt was stopped by Hatake. As I said, we engaged them in combat. In the beginning it was Deidara, Shredkill and Devalan against the Copy-ninja and Blackrose and I against Hyuuga. The Nara acted as backup. Later on, it was the pineapple kid with the shadows against Deidara, Devalan and Shredkill against the Copy-ninja, Blackrose and me against the Hyuuga freak. The girl returned with the Uchiha brat, and he helped the Hyuuga. Just as we was about to overpower them, they had reinforcements." When he noticed the facial-expression his leader wore, one that promised a very slow and painful death if he didn't hurried up, he continued. "The reinforcements consisted of a boy. He is about their age, had red-brown hair and pale-green eyes. He has the character for love over his left eye. His special ability seems to involve sand. However, the Copy-ninja referred to him as Kazekage. We were sent to inform you, while the others engaged the Copy-ninja and Kazekage in combat. The Copy-ninja told the others to get out of there and they obeyed. A dog led them away. Apparently it was one of the Copy-ninjas mutts."

That left Sagato with an angry frown on his face. According to his information Nagato left him, Deidara fought the Kazekage, seeing he was the host for the One-Tail. And the description Murdgaki just gave him matched the former Jinchuuriki. Either someone was pulling a trick on them, which was more than unlikely, or someone had managed to bring the Kazekage back from the dead. He contemplated what to do. Neither he, Kisame or Itachi could help in the fight. And going by the explosions in the sky, it seemed that Deidara had engaged one of them in an aerial combat, while Shredkill and Shredkill were fighting the other. Sagato's guess would be Deidara was fighting the Kazekage while Shredkill and Devalan dealt with Hatake. He cursed under his breath as he gave instructions and formed seals

"Find Itachi and Kisame. Inform them about what is going on. Don't engage in any of the fights. You will set out and delay the Leaf once these cages disappear. You are the fastest runners we have when the element of surprise is lost. Now go." He focused a little of his chakra and shouted. "Byakugan!" His eyes transformed into a perfect copy of the Hyuuga clan's. He scouted the area for a minute, trying to locate the Itachi and Kisame. Normally he would have done it with the rings, but all the bursts of chakra made that near impossible. "Found them. That direction."

He pointed his finger in the direction: North. "Avoid combat."

They both nodded and took of as Sagato scouted for the ones fighting. Sure enough, Deidara was fighting the former Jinchuuriki in the sky, while Devalan seemed to be catching his breath. He couldn't see Shredkill, but Kakashi was obvious. Sagato guessed Shredkill was in the water. He searched a little more as he and found his target. Naruto was hiding near the pass, leading away from Satur. He chuckled slightly and channelled a little chakra into his ring and spoke into the place were the character for 'zero' was

"Zetsu."

Zetsu's face appeared. His black side spoke. "Yes?" And the white continued more politely. "My Lord? How can we help you? And what's going on. I can't get a clear view at all."

Sagato sighed, his focus still at Naruto's location. "Hatake wasn't killed by Itachi. He is currently fighting Shredkill and Devalan. Deidara is fighting the Kazekage, the former Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail. But that doesn't matter right now. Zetsu, you capture the Nine-Tails. He is currently hiding with the others near the pass where we entered the castle. Kill the others."

If Zetsu was confused, his face didn't show it. His black part spoke again. "Understood." However, the white part spoke up too. "I'm not suited for combat. I'm too slow and…"

Sagato cut him off with a menacing growl. "Shut it. You managed to take down Itachi during the fights where I assessed your strength. Only you, aside from myself, managed that. If you can handle Itachi, then handling some brats should be easy. Now go."

Zetsu merely nodded as his face disappeared from the ring. Sagato cursed. "Damn you too hell Itachi. I really doubt your loyalty now. You will pay once this is over and we have extracted the Nine-Tails." He sunk back into silence, apparently lost in thought. Then he muttered and started following the battle between Kakashi, Devalan and Shredkill.

"Akatsuki need some new members. Some I can trust and who are stronger. And smarter for that matter. And I know the perfect candidates. They will be difficult to convince and find, but they will be worth it. But for now I will watch the fights. Thanks to Hiashi Hyuuga, I was able to copy those eyes. I should have killed him back then, but two of the Hidden Leaf's ANBU intervened. Both of them wore masks and cloaks, so I could only see the masks. Both of them had code names, corresponding to their masks: Wolf and Weasel. They were no match for me at all, but they still managed to get the Hyuuga away from me and set up several traps to keep me away. They reached the Leaf Village, just before I caught up to them. And I was left, because I didn't want to reveal my true identity. I wonder who they were." A smirk appeared on his face. "Oh well, I will probably never know. Just as Nagato never will know that it was I who raped and impregnated Konan. But who cares? My idiotic brother and his bitch are dead. Although I lost my heir along with them. But I can't believe that he actually believed that I wanted to make his dream come true."

With that in mind, he set back and watched the battle that was about to unfold.

His hood was pulled up, hiding his red eyes with the slits. He had dropped the girl off by the Nara compound. But he was impressed. She had actually managed to take down one of his shadow clones with water. But she had been completely exhausted and unconsciousness when he returned. And thus he hadn't bothered waking her up and has a troublesome argument with her. He had merely picked her up and flew low, beneath the treetops. And now they were back in the village. They had been lucky. The sun hadn't shown, since the sky was dark. And from what Dracula could tell, a violent thunderstorm was on its way. He smiled to himself as he walked down the hospital corridors. Although he hadn't woken the girl up, he had performed a jutsu on her. A jutsu that would erase every memory about him from her mind. But she would be able to remember the idea of combining elements with her shadow. But she would remember the idea coming from a dream. In other words, he fiddled a little with her memory. He sighed and cursed. He would have to do something about Tsunade and her companions. This was becoming more bothersome than he thought was funny. But tracking down Tsunade and the others would be very annoying. And take time. He stopped walking and a smile crossed his lips. He muttered under his breath.

"Of course. No need for me to hunt them down. I will merely set up a jutsu that will erode their memories about meeting me. I guess the outskirts will be fine. That way I don't waste time and energy looking for them. Should be easy enough. Now, where are those elders? I thought that they would be here, considering this is the place their loyal soldiers are. But I guess morals have changed since I was in war. And… what is that annoying sound?"

"Beep… beep… beep… beep…"

Dracula slowly entered the ward where the sound was coming from. He felt his brow furrow slightly as he watched the young man lay under layers of papers with inscriptions on them. His face and chest were barely visible. He had a scar across the back of his nose and his brown hair was standing in a ponytail. Dracula took a quick glance at all the equipment attached to the young man. Not that much of them made any sense to him. He could see a graph and some numbers that seemed to tell about his heartbeat. And from what he could see, the young man's heartbeat seemed to be dropping. There also was something that appeared to be supplying him with the most necessary. And something that seemed to remove waste products. He chuckled slightly. Back in his day, people that were as wounded as this guy would have been killed out of mercy. Then he noted the little protocol hanging in small strap in the end of the bed. He took it and read aloud.

"Name: Iruka Umino. Age: 26. Birthday: May 26th. Blood Type**:** O. Height: 178 cm. Weight: 66.2 kg. Wounded in battle against Root. Unknown poison has put him in coma. Unknown when consciousness is regained. Provide him with… what the hell is this?"

He stared at the list on the other page. None of the names on the herbs and so on meant anything to him. In reality it was what Iruka was being administered of medicine and improvements, if any. Dracula let out a scornful snort as he read the first page again.

"Unknown when consciousness will be regained, eh? Are those people doctors or medics at all? Why inform people about the obvious?" He paused.

Then he smiled slightly as he spoke in a low whisper. "Heh, times sure have changed. In my clan he would have been dead by now. Iruka Umino; why are you still alive? What keeps you bound to this life? Well, that isn't any of my concern. The fact remains the same. You won't see your next birthday. Goodbye."

Dracula turned around and started walking out when he stopped in the door. Something was off. He slowly turned around. He narrowed his eyes at the form in the bed. He had felt something. Something out of the ordinary.

His voice was low as walked back until he stood beside Iruka.

"Well, well. Would you look at that? Your blood isn't acting as it should, even if you're in coma. The flow is irregular. Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?" He closed his eyes as he concentrated on what he could sense in Iruka's blood, heartbeat etc. When he opened his eyes, he had found something unusual. He chuckled.

"No wonder the medics can't do anything, Iruka Umino. This is beyond them and their equipment. But even if they knew, they probably wouldn't do anything. The poison is in your entire body, being transported by your blood. About 95 % of the poison is in your blood, giving it an irregular circulation. And it's gradually slowing down your circulation. I guess it will stop within one week. The last poison is constantly attacking your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and your nervous system, slowly setting them out of function. I've got to admit: A brilliant person must have invented this poison. Snake poison and different refined metals. The medics would only notice the poison in the organs, but they wouldn't detect the one in the blood. You will die within one week. And it will be painful. You will probably wake up in second before you pass away. Your chances for surviving this are below zero."

Dracula looked at Iruka for one minute. Then he grinned. "I must be getting soft. I will save you from the pain." Dracula gathered a little chakra in his fingertips. Then he spoke "Demon Fist: 9 Trigrams, 201 Palms."

A fast series of jabs to Iruka's chest, stomach and throat send blood spattering anywhere from the holes the heightened pressure made, tearing the papers and their inscriptions away. Dracula took a close look at the blood. He saw traces of purple in it: the poison. He sighed and started talking as he turned around and left.

"I've almost emptied you for blood and thus most of the poison. You have only about 1 litre of blood left; thus, the poison is no longer concentrated enough to be lethal. But your chances for survival are still below zero. Goodbye Iruka Umino. Rest in peace. Now, time to find my way out of this hospital."

He stood still for a minute, and then he cursed loudly. "Damn it all. I can't find my way out of this damn hospital. Oh well. If a door isn't present, I will just have to make one."

He focused a little chakra into his eyes. Instantly a beam of red light was fired from his eyes, blowing the entire wall with the windows into debris. He jumped out through the hole, leaving Iruka to his death. As he jumped out and landed on the street, he noticed for the first time.

"That's strange. It seems the fighting has stopped. Now that I think about it, I wasn't met by explosions when I entered this city. Oh well, I guess the next location to look for the elders is the Hokage Tower."

He had walked down the streets towards the Hokage Tower for about 15 minutes, taking in his surroundings. He had passed a few burning buildings, but there was no sound of a civil war raging. Furthermore, he could see light in the Hokage Tower. He looked into the sky: It was getting darker. He frowned a bit. This storm cloud was huge. But he didn't care- as long as the sun didn't come forth. He started walking again, just to stop again. He looked to his right. It was a bookstore. It windows was shattered and he barely noticed. Among the glass and debris, something was peeking up. He held out his right hand; the thing wriggled a little before it flew towards him. He caught it with ease. It was, big surprise, a book. The cover was almost torn to shreds, but he managed to read 'Make-Out Violence. Rated XXX. Not suited for people under the age of 18.'

Dracula chuckled. "I think I'm allowed to read it. Besides, reading should be good for the mind."

He started reading as he continued walking, book hovering in front of him and turning the pages over as he went; but not before he had read the entire page. However, he didn't manage to read especially much, as he was interrupted five minutes later.

He was so absorbed by his reading that he barely paid attention to his surroundings. After all, he was approaching the Tower. Many things happened at once. Living snakes entangled his left arm, while wood shot up from the ground, entangling his body and right arm. Snakes made of ink wrapped tightly around his wrists, keeping his hands in place, just in case he should break free from the wood. The book fell to the ground, and Dracula looked at the people in front of him. From what he could see, a member of each clan and other sninobi of different rank were there; and they seemed ready to fight.

He saw a man with a black coat and a, from what Dracula knew, a standard battle vest. He had several scars on his face and wore a black bandana. The man spoke with a gruff voice.

"We've got some questions for you, Root member. And we will get them, one way or the other. It's your choice."

Dracula sighed in annoyance and muttered under his breath, making sure they didn't hear him. "I suddenly remember why I hate this Village. Every bloody time I kill one from this town, 10 new ones come to replace the fallen. It's freaking annoying. Besides, they can't possibly still be mad at me, just because I killed their Hokages? Well, true enough I killed the First and Second, but I didn't kill the Third and Fourth. At least not personally. Besides, I killed the First and Second Raikage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage and one of the Mizukages. True, there were uproar, but they never found out that it was me who did it. And those people are certainly to young to remember me or know me. Or at least I think so. Hell, the only person who ever found out that I was the one who trained Zabuza Momochi, before he slaughtered the other students, was Madara. I paid the Hidden Mist Village a visit and found out that Madara was the Mizukage. Of course I was in disguise, but it was very funny to watch Madara Uchiha run around like a chicken without head, trying to figure out where I was so that he could avoid me. Too bad that he brainwashed Zabuza and made him forget some of the moves I taught him. I guess that was how Madara realized I was alive and in town. Oh well, it was funny to give Madara a reminder about me. Well, back to those bothersome bugs."

Dracula sighed again. When he spoke, his voice was cold and held an edge of murderous intent in it. "Now then… who of you should I kill first?"

And he prepared for the fight, no matter how short it may be.

"THEY ARE WHAT???!!"

Kisame gave the thunder a race for its money as he roared. Murdgaki and Blackrose had just reached them and informed them about who were fighting. Kisame felt anger and disbelief well up in him. He narrowed his eyes. At Itachi.

"I thought you killed them?"

Itachi merely glared at him. "I thought I did. But Kakashi is no novice in deception. I see now that I was fooled." He turned his head away.

Kisame glared at Itachi for a minute or two, before he turned away too, deep in thought. Itachi hid it well, but in the fraction of a second, Kisame noticed that Itachi didn't seem surprised at all that Kakashi and his companions were alive. And when Murdgaki told that Kakashi was fighting on equal ground against Shredkill and Devalan, Kisame was certain that he had seen something in the corner of Itachi's mouth, as he was about to smile.

That did it. Kisame was going to tell his leader about his suspicions once he got a little more distance between himself and Itachi.

End part two.


	17. Chapter 17: Chapter 14 part 3

Chapter 14: Explosive Battle Conclusion: Gaara and Kakashi vs. Akatsuki! Part 3/3

Deidara panted as he flew on his new bird. "If I hadn't managed making a new bird and perform a Replacement jutsu, thing would have been real bad, hm. I better fetch the Jinchuuriki and then get out of here."

A swarm of small fireballs flew past him. Deidara turned around, just to see Gaara coming for him at top speed. And just as Deidara thought it couldn't get any worse, he saw the enormous cloud of sand behind Gaara, before several tendrils of sand was aimed for him. Deidara flew in zigzag, avoiding them and thus the damage they could deal. Deidara cursed and hurled several small figures at Gaara. One move with his hand, and they expanded into 5 of his clay dragons.

Gaara's eyes went wide as he saw the dragons coming for him. His sand wouldn't be able to block this attack. "Shit…"

BOOOOOOUUUUUUMMMM!

Deidara smirked. "That did it, hm. Time to go for the Nine-Tails."

"Not if I have anything to say."

Deidara spun around, just to see Gaara coming for him from above. He had some bruises, but was otherwise fine. His eagle looked rather battered though. Feathers had been slightly burned several places and Tesaki had a lot of minor burns and injuries, if Deidara was to judge from what he could see from her flight. Deidara made his bird fly to the left, just as another attack from the sand came. Gaara seemed to have noticed his summon injuries.

"Tesaki, are you all right?"

Tesaki shook her head. "No Lord Kazekage. I'm almost depleted for chakra. My wind shield isn't as effective as your sand. If we hadn't combined our shields there, it would have been the end of us. Moreover, I can't use any more jutsus."

Gaara nodded in understanding. As they flew towards the castle again, an idea formed in his mind. "Tesaki, fly high. We will get him when we are above the castle again. I want to try something out."

Tesaki gave him a puzzled look but obeyed. They soared high into the sky, while Gaara made some of his sand keeping Deidara busy. Deidara was in for a huge surprise. And he probably wasn't going to like it.

"NO! DON'T remove the seal!"

Sakura pulled her hand away from the seal on Naruto's forehead. She looked at Sasuke. Sasuke sighed.

"Orochimaru made that seal. It suppresses the Nine-Tails chakra. In other words: Naruto's wounds won't heal as they usually do. Also, he can't use the chakra in a fight. Moreover, it makes it harder to extract the Nine-Tails. That's why Akatsuki had so much trouble pulling it out. And to make it worse, Orochimaru made the seal in a way so it will intervene with any healing done."

As on cue, Naruto's shin broke yet again, making him howl in pain. Sakura gasped at the sudden sound, looking at his shin. She paled a little as she examined it. The bone was now broken up till the knee. Apparently, Orochimaru had made this seal infusing his own chakra into Naruto, causing him additionally pain if someone tried healing him. She looked at Naruto's painful face, then at Sasuke, tears threatening to flow. Her voice was weak.

"What happens if we remove the seal?"

Sasuke cursed under his breath before answering. "If removed by hands or other things that don't defy the normal laws for moving things, the seal will cause Naruto's chakra system to be overflowed with the Nine-Tails chakra. But since the Nine-Tails itself is being suppressed, it will only the damaging effects that will be present. In other words: Naruto's chakra system will be overloaded with a chakra that no living human can handle. He will burn from the inside and out."

Neji, Sakura and Shikamaru nodded in understanding. Naruto merely tried to ignore the pain and the tears in his eyes. Never had he felt so useless. He couldn't protect himself, let alone his friends. He wished he had just died back there. However, Sakura saw his expression and guessed his thoughts. Partly, anyway.

She spoke softly.

"I don't know what you're thinking Naruto, but you mustn't blame yourself. Or think badly of yourself. Kakashi-sensei is risking his life for you and if he saw you right now, he would think it is a trap. Because this isn't the Naruto he or I know. The Naruto we know is loud and unpredictable. Sometimes annoying like hell, but all in a good way."

Sasuke nodded. "Listen up Naruto, you big loser. If you die… Kakashi's fight would be in avail and I would have lost my rival that keeps pushing me to and beyond my limits. Although I'm way stronger than any of you by now, if I lost the last person precious to me, I will end up as Orochimaru and Itachi; cold-blooded murderers." He let out a small curse. "One more day and I would have become stronger than Orochimaru. But then Kabuto found a way to keep Orochimaru's illness down and gave him some of his powers back. Moreover, they found a way to keep me in check. Somehow they managed to inflict pain through my Curse Mark. Pain strong enough to put me out for hours. And then Akatsuki attacked. I had planned on taking Orochimaru down when he returned but I guess fate had others plans."

Neji nodded. He knew all to well what fate could do to a person. He glanced at Naruto. He was so different from the boy he had fought a couple of years ago. He was no longer the impudent and obnoxious brat that stubbornly refused to give up when common sense shouted him in the face that he lost. He had kept going and in the end bested Neji. Now, Neji was looking at a scared teenager. A teenager that looked ready to give up. Definitely not the Naruto he remembered. The difference was heartbreaking, and Neji swore that if he had made a bet with someone in the past about whether or not he would ever see Naruto like this, he would have been willing to risk wearing a green jumpsuit, get a radical haircut and change his cool behaviour until he was a perfect copy of Lee and Gai. And he would be like them for a month. Needless to say, he was grateful that he never made such a bet. Then something other caught his attention on Naruto's stomach.

"What is that?" he asked sharply.

Sasuke took a glance at Naruto's stomach and he frowned and let out a curse.

"Damn you to Hell Orochimaru. He has used the Five Element Seal. It's the same seal he put on Naruto during the Second Chuunin Exam. Simply put, it makes it harder for Naruto to mould chakra. Unfortunately, we need a Sannin to remove this seal. I was never taught how to remove it, and considering this is Orochimaru we are dealing with, the way to remove it is bound to be difficult."

Naruto nodded in understanding and he felt even worse than before. He remembered the last time Orochimaru had put that seal on him. Or rather, he learned it from Jiraiya during their trip. Moreover, he was freezing. But just as he was about to ask Sakura to give him his clothes, Sakura and Shikamaru grabbed one of his arms each and jumped out of the passage and into the beginning of the woods. Neji and Sasuke were soon by their sides, Bloodlines activated. Naruto looked at the place they had been seconds ago and paled slightly. Two boulders were seen where they had been moments ago. Add to that a huge vine with thorns as pointy as spears dripping with what looked like poison.

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell? Neji, did you see our opponent?"

Neji shook his head. "Negative Uchiha. And I can't sense him at all."

Then they heard it. It sounded like two voices shouting on the same time. Except that they said the same.

"Earth Element: Rock Avalanche. Earth Element: Wrath of the Forest. Earth Element: Earth Dome."

Multiple things happened consequently in matter of seconds. The rock walls exploded partly, sending showers of boulders of different sizes down upon the young ninjas with incredible speed. While they focused on that, if it hadn't been for Neji and his Byakugan, they wouldn't have noticed the plant tendrils coming at them from every tree and ground; their thorns were long as katanas and dripping with poison. To make things worse, a dome of earth rose rapidly, but due to Sasuke's Chidori they managed to get out and land on a tree branch. But that tree exploded in flames and they would have been fried if Neji hadn't seen the strange symbol carved into the trunk. They landed in a cleaning 10 metres from where they had been. They could still see into the passage.

They panted slightly. Sasuke cursed.

"Where the Hell is he?"

He was answered when something that resembled a Venus-fly trap appeared from the ground. When the mantle parted, Sakura let out a small gasp as she saw the man. He seemed as two persons had been melted into one. As she glanced downwards, her shock increased. His right leg was a normal one, but the left looked like a root. While Zetsu looked at the younger ninja and saw the shock in Sakura's face, the white side chuckled.

"Well, well. Those kids are really hard to catch. Although the girl seems to be frozen with fear."

The black side merely glanced at them. "Just hurry up. The Leader wants the Jinchuuriki. Kill the others. I want to taste their sweet flesh."

The light side chuckled. "You're right. Then… let's kill them."

Sasuke stepped in front of Naruto. "Not so fast. I have seen your profile while I trained under Orochimaru. If I remember correctly, your name is Zetsu. You are usually the one who stands guard. Also, you serve as the spy for Akatsuki and the one who cleans up after a battle. According to your profile, and as we just got confirmed, you're quite a cannibal."

Zetsu's white side glanced at Sasuke and then at the others. When he saw the horror in their eyes, he chuckled in amusement. However, it was black part that answered.

"Not bad kid. You just scared your comrades. I guess Orochimaru has been gathering information from his time in Akatsuki. No matter. I will…"

He was cut off by the white part. "I wonder… who is stronger: You or Itachi? In any case, beating up another Uchiha will be great."

Sasuke's gaze narrowed and his face contorted into a snarl. However, he kept his cool. Charging in without thinking was not an option. He quickly assessed his comrades' conditions. Naruto couldn't fight for obvious reasons. Shikamaru was almost at his limit and such his jutsus wouldn't be of much use. Sakura… they needed Sakura to heal their injuries later on. That left him, Neji and the dog. And it was more than unlikely that the dog could fight. He glanced at Neji and saw his own thought mirrored in Neji's activated Byakugan. He sighed and activated his Sharingan. Whatever this guy' or guys' trick was, he would see it.

Zetsu tilted his head to the right, studying Sasuke. Then the dark part smirked. "Your Sharingan won't work against me boy. Itachi made the same mistake as you. I can look into your eyes as much as I want… you can't put me under genjutsu. I broke Itachi's Tsukuyomi with ease. And since I'm going to run around a lot of obvious reason, then your ability to track fast movements is useless. Now… hand over the Jinchuuriki... and I will merely kill you."

A sound like thousands of birds was all warning Zetsu got before Sasuke appeared behind and him and stroke for his heart. Sasuke smirked.

"Itachi must weaker than last we met. Otherwise he wouldn't have lost to… what?!"

Zetsu parted in two in the last second, causing Sasuke to, more or less, fly right through him. His white side glanced at Sasuke and spoke as he united himself again.

"That tickled you know. And… what is this? My body…"

"Shadow Imitation jutsu… successful"

They all turned around to look at Shikamaru. He was panting heavily, but he restrained Zetsu with his shadow none the less. They all wondered how, since there was no light except for the lightning now and then. And then the fire from the tree. Then realization dawned upon Sakura.

"Shikamaru… you used the fire from that tree, right?"

Shikamaru glanced at her. "Correct. Someone, finish him off, will you? I can't last... watch out!"

Once again, tendrils or oversized roots with poisonous thorns sprouted from the ground. While the others jumped backwards again, Neji blocked the attack with his rotation. And suddenly, much to everyone's' surprise, only his body is visible. The rest of it is buried in the earth.

Sasuke merely muttered as he was familiar with that one.

"Earth Element: Decapitation jutsu. I see now… your ability is to execute Earth Element jutsus without forming any seals. And you don't have to utter a word either. The jutsus are executed with your mind alone, am I right?"

Zetsu's white part chuckled as he replied. "Correct."

Sasuke chuckled too. "Too bad for you. You might have caught the others off guard, but I won't be that easy. Time to remove the weed." He appeared behind Zetsu before the latter could blink. "This is the end… for you. Fire Element: Grand Fireball jutsu!"

The fireball engulfed Zetsu completely. When the fire subsided, they all stared in disbelief. Zetsu was standing right where he was before; he hasn't even moved an inch. Furthermore, he was completely unharmed. He slowly turned around and locked eyes with Sasuke.

"So predictable. Itachi tried that one too. And just like you, he failed." The dark part growls in continuation of the white. "Your tendency for choosing Fire Element jutsus will be all of Uchihas downfall. Here is how I defended against it. Although you will be trapped inside it this time around."

Sasuke tried to move, but found that he couldn't. Something was restraining his feet. As he glanced down, he saw roots had tangled around his feet and kept him in place. Before he could utter a curse, earth engulfed him till his head. A small gasp escaped his lips as ice cold water surrounded him inside the earth pod. He glares at Zetsu.

"This doesn't explain how you survived that fireball."

The light part grinned. "You aren't as smart as rumours say. And I guess your fireball blocked your view, preventing your Sharingan from seeing it. Allow me to explain: the earth cocoon surrounding you was formed on my command. It became my first line of protection. A tree consists of 80-95 percents water. I extracted the water from the trees and ground and made it surround me inside the cocoon. Water extinguishes fire. That was second line of defence. And I would stand still if I were you. Otherwise the roots will drag you down until you are completely under the water and you will drown. Not that I care since you will die anyway, but it would make this much more entertaining if I keep you alive till the end. And don't try using that jutsu with the wings you did while you fought the Jinchuuriki here two or three years ago. In case you haven't noticed by now, the roots have now entangled you completely. And they are poisonous. When your brother tried using his Mangekyou Sharingan jutsu, Susanoo, in order to break free, the poison affected his system enough to ensure that didn't happen. And…"

The black part had had enough and cut in. "Time to end the chatter. Let's us just get the Jinchuuriki."

The white side sighed. "You're right."

As Zetsu slowly walked closer to Naruto, he made sure that Shikamaru didn't try anything funny. Shikamaru prepared for one of his jutsus, but then the earth moved quickly and suddenly he was trapped inside of a dome. He tried to shout a warning, but found that not a sound escaped his prison. And then the dome crumbled as fast as it was made. Shikamaru took a quick glance around and saw that Sasuke was helping Neji out of the ground. And Zetsu was nowhere in sight.

As Zetsu trapped Shikamaru he spoke to Sakura who had taken a defensive stance in front of Naruto. His dark part growled in fury.

"Stand aside girl. You're not my target. Move willingly, and I shall spare your friends."

Naruto listened very intently and looked up at Sakura. She could hear the pleading in his voice, even if his voice was weak. "Sakura-chan… save yourself and the others. Leave me behind and run… You can be hap…"

"SHUT UP NARUTO! I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" When Sakura saw the look in Naruto's eyes, her expression softened, but he could still see the determination in her face. "Remember what Kakashi-sensei said the first time we met him? That those who don't follow the rules are called trash, but that those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash? How can I face him if he learns that I left one of my comrades behind? I love you Naruto and that's it. Besides, I have a plan."

As Naruto looked completely dumbfounded at Sakura, he noticed that Runner is growling. And he soon found out why. Zetsu was less than two metres away from them. His white side chuckled slightly.

"Young love. So foolish. Well, at least she has made her decision." The dark merely growled out. "Just hurry up and kill her."

Sakura was ready for something like that and as Zetsu stepped forward she made her move. She had been itching for trying it, but it wouldn't have worked against Sasori, and the other opponents she have faced so far would have dodged it with ease. And she doubts that Zetsu would be taken out with brute strength alone. But hopefully this will.

"Ninja Art: Poison Mist!"

She exhaled deeply and blew a considerable cloud of purple gas at Zetsu. Zetsu curses as he closes his shell but too late. He has already inhaled some of the poison.

He know that it won't be enough to kill him, but he decides to retreat for now. Sinks into the ground and disappear.

Sakura looked around and saw that the earth restraining Sasuke and Shikamaru had crumbled. Sighing, Sakura looked around as the poison gas dispersed and saw that Zetsu has retreated. She knows that she hit him with the poison, but she isn't as good with it as Shizune. Meaning it won't be lethal. She turns around to see Naruto look completely confused at her. The only things that comes over his lips is:

"How?"

Sakura sighed. "Not now Naruto. We have to get away from here before… Gaara?!"

Gaara landed right behind her, his face turned towards the castle. He speaks softly as he crosses his arms in front of him. "Get behind me. Now. And stay down."

As they do as he says, the air around him becomes blurry. Naruto exclaims loudly. "That is...!"

Deidara was fuming in anger. Gaara and his eagle had suddenly disappeared and now he was hovering over the castle, trying to see where Gaara had gone. A bright light from the lake caught his attention and he ventured a quick glance in the direction. Big mistake.

"Lord Kazekage… I can't…"

Gaara let out a small prayer before turning his attention to Tesaki. "Don't worry. I'm locked on target. You're dismissed."

With that he jumped. He barely noticed Tesaki disappear as he descended towards Deidara with his arms tight to his sides, giving him more speed. When he was close enough he formed clones of his sand and when he was satisfied, he shouted at Deidara.

"Escape this one!"

Deidara looked up and bleached. 20 Gaaras were coming for and although he dodged most of them, three still hit his bird: Two of them cut off the wings due to their velocity, and one took away the head. But Gaara was far from done. While still in midair, several clones kicked him downwards, each pronouncing something as they hit Deidara hard.

"Ga… a…ra… of… the… des… sert… de… scen… ding… ea… gle… BARRAGE!"

At the word 'Barrage', four clones hit Deidara square in the chest with kicks, and stayed intact instead of disappearing into sand. They drove him through the still burning ceiling and right into the floor with a very nasty sound of bones cracking. The clones disappeared. Meanwhile, Gaara made a spin in midair and landed on some of his sand. He looked for Naruto and the others. He was slightly worried about Kakashi, but his top priority was rescuing Naruto. After all, he owed the blond. When he located the blond hair, it was in the forest. And from the sound and sight of it, they were engaged in a fight with another Akatsuki. He made his sand flew towards the place with its top speed, but just as he was nearing it, he sensed something from behind. He muttered under his breath.

"Why won't that guy just give up and die?" Then he felt a slight disturbance in the sand hovering in the sky. Or rather, a disturbance on the microscopic level. When he turned around he saw a huge Deidara, most of its body sticking up from the remaining roof.

Gaara cursed.

"Not good. If that thing goes off, we are done for. Moreover, it seems to be spewing bombs on the microscopic level. In other words, bombs that is meant for getting into someone's system. And to make things worst, I'm almost out of chakra. But I have to stop that thing. I hope Kakashi-san can handle the others. Hmm, what now? Sasuke Uchiha is trapped. And so is Neji Hyuuga and Shikamaru. Great, Temari will probably try skinning me alive if she hears her love was killed on my watch. Or worse… increase the paperwork I have to do."

Gaara shuddered. Paperwork. The one thing that he had the worst experiences with, aside from Akatsuki. Who knew being Kazekage implied so much boring work? But speaking of Akatsuki, where was the member the others had been fighting. Gaara suddenly saw how Sakura spew a poison cloud at the opponent, although he couldn't see whom. Anxious to see if they were okay, Gaara sped up and when he was close enough, he jumped and landed right behind Sakura. Ignoring her shout of surprise, he looked around. One quick glance was all he needed to make sure everyone was okay. He spoke softly as he concentrated.

"Get behind me. Now. And stay down."

He started muttering as he crossed his arm in front of him. Naruto's eyes went wide when the air surrounding Gaara became hot and blurry, and he loudly exclaimed his surprise. "That is Fuzzy-Eyebrows…!

"Third Gate, Life Gate: open! Fourth Gate, Pain Gate: open! And last one I need for this: Fifth Gate, Limit Gate: OPEN!"

Gaara was releasing a tremendous amount of chakra, and his appearance had slightly changed. Neji noticed that he looked like Gai and Lee when they used that trick. But Gaara couldn't possible be considering using taijutsu against that thing that had appeared.

Gaara seemed to be aware of their confusing, but he hadn't time to explain what he was doing. So with some of his sand, he formed a protective dome around them, only enabling them to see. It also protected them against the heat radiating from him. Then his hands became a blur of motion as he hands formed a long series of seals with a speed that was close matching Kakashi's. The sequence ended in the tiger seal.

When Gaara spoke, his voice rang loud and clear through the air; it seemed the thunder and lightning had subsided.

"Fire Element: Blazing Sand of the Sahara Dessert!"

Instantly, the gigantic cloud of sand hovering in sky caught fire, and only a small amount of chakra stayed around Gaara. Gaara noted with satisfaction that the microscopic bombs in his sand exploded the moment the jutsus was activated. A few moves with his hands, and the cloud of now burning sand surrounded the huge figure of Deidara, making sure no more bombs were released. Then, it constricted.

BOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

The explosion was enormous. The flames too. And the amount of smoke. When the smoke cleared and Gaara pulled his sand surrounding them back into forming a gourd and the rest of it into it, they all stared in awe. Then entire castle had been levelled with the ground. Almost. As Neji informed them after taking a look with his Byakugan, their jaws dropped.

"Unbelievable. The entire castle… is gone. No, wait. One of the chambers remain intact. I think… I think it's the same chamber Sakura found Sasuke in. What's more, it doesn't even look damaged at all. But there is a huge crater surrounding it. Also, some of the rock walls surrounding the castle has been blown away. Or at least scorched. And… it can't be! The guy we fought earlier and the one Lord Kazekage fought are still alive, but seems to be suffering chakra exhaustion. The plant man seems to be supporting the other. They… they are walking away."

They all nodded before cheering. Almost all. Sasuke looked at Gaara. He had become stronger, and Sasuke thought that he probably still was stronger than the current Kazekage. Still… After fighting like that and still be standing… it was unbelievable. Sasuke looked at Naruto; he wasn't surprised by the expression Naruto held.

Naruto stared in pure shock at Gaara. He had become stronger since he fought in the River Country. But compared to Gaara, he was standing still. Gaara was more powerful than ever. Naruto simply couldn't believe it. Gaara had outdone him… again. First he became Kazekage before Naruto became Hokage. And now he had become even more deadly as an opponent. If he didn't want to fight Gaara before the Chuunin Exam, he definitely didn't want now. If he was matched up against Gaara now, he wouldn't even bother fighting. He would either give up right away or run like hell. However, he was soon brought out of his reverie.

Gaara was coughing. And there came a little amount of blood.

Sakura was beside him instantly as he fall over. She gently caught him and put him down. Her voice was full of concern.

"Ga… no, Lord Kazekage… are you alright?"

Gaara coughed a little, but this time no blood came. "I've been better. That last move requires a lot of chakra. And since I was almost depleted from chakra, I had to open some of the gates. And right now... 'Cough'… my body hurts like hell."

Neji nodded and frowned before asking. He was quite impressed. Normally, when opening the gates, it was used for an explosive taijutsu move. However, Gaara had somehow channelled the assembled chakra into the sand high above them. "Lord Kazekage: How many of the gates can you open?"

Gaara slowly turned his head to face the Hyuuga. "I once opened the 7th gate. But I won't do that again unless it is absolutely necessary. I body hurt like Hell and I couldn't move for a week. Another reason I won't do it again, is because it took way too long to catch up with the paperwork."

At this they all laughed. Even Sasuke smiled a little. Then he turned serious. "What do we do now?"

Gaara sighed. "Now… we wait for Kakashi-san to return. If he hasn't returned within 10 minutes, we are leaving. That last trick used almost all of my sand. I won't be able to hold another Akatsuki member off." When he saw the faces of the ones surrounding him, faces that clearly wanted to aid Kakashi, his voice grew stern and full with authority. "As the one with the highest rank here, and in the absence of Kakashi-san, I'm in command. And my order is clear: You stay where you are."

Sasuke smirked at this. "Since I have not officially returned to the Leaf Village, I'm still considered a missing-nin. As such, I can do as I please."

Just as the word 'please' passed his lips, he felt his Curse Mark burn. He fell to his knees, gasping through gritted teeth.

Sakura was by his side instantly. "Sasuke-kun, something wrong?"

Sasuke merely shook his head in a no.

BOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOoommmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!

Kakashi glanced in the direction of the sound and saw the castle ruins vanish in flames. He was panting heavily. Devalan had used some sort of Fire Element jutsu. Far more powerful than Dragon Fire jutsu. Kakashi had barely managed countering it by focusing almost all of the green or black chakra into one spot: In front of him. Or perhaps it was all of it. But he had other things to focus on. The moment he looked away, he was kicked hard in the chest. Coughing he hits the water. Hard. He slowly stood up and glared in the direction from where the attack had come. He was greeted by a barrage of fireballs. Kakashi cursed and formed seals.

"Water Element: Water Wall!"

All of fireballs hit the wall of water. It couldn't withstand it. When the third out of ten hit the wall, it was completely gone. Devalan smirked.

"Got him. I killed him… I finally killed him."

Then he heard a low snarl from behind. "Think again, idiot. Water Element: Water Dragon jutsu!"

Devalan turned around, just to come face to face with a dragon made of water coming for him. Before he could dodge or teleport away, it made contact. Devalan felt almost all of his breath leave him at the impact. The impact was so big that he was pushed 30 metres backwards and then 15 underwater.

Kakashi smirked. After the first fireball had hit, he had simply stopped the flow of chakra to his feet. This of course, caused him to fall into the water. Once there, he had simply swum behind Devalan and launched his attack. But something was different. This dragon had been about three times bigger than the one he fought Zabuza with. However, he hadn't time to see when and where Devalan would resurface. A sound from behind made him turn. 50 feet from him was there steam rising. The water was boiling. Kakashi's eye widened in surprise as a huge sphere of chakra soared upwards. Strangely enough, it didn't explode. It just hovered there. Kakashi narrowed his eye.

"What the… why is it just hanging there? No… wait. I see. It's drawing the lightning bolt into it. Its size… is increasing. And… shit!"

Shredkill landed a kick to Kakashi's stomach as he shot up from the water. It was soon followed by a knee to the face and a fist to the side of his head. When Kakashi slowly stood back up, he was quite dizzy. But he heard Shredkill chuckle.

"What's the matter Hatake? Where did that green or black chakra go? Surely you didn't use all of it against Devalan? Then again, I saw you counterattack his Devil Flame jutsu before. That caused that bright light before. How you still can be standing is beyond me. Oh well. Doesn't matter to me, considering this will be the end of you. This will be your last fight. And be assured: We kill the youngsters too and get the Jinchuuriki."

Kakashi merely glared at Shredkill. There was nowhere in Hell that he would let this sucker get his hands on Naruto and the others. Besides: He just had to stop him from executing his jutsu. He quickly assessed his options. Calling upon the power of the Nine-Tails was not an option. Not if an emergency should arise later. And he was almost out of his own chakra. Genjutsu wouldn't work against Sharingan. And… Devalan was still out there. Kakashi concluded only one option left, how foolish it may seem: taijutsu.

Kakashi sighed. Not the best plan he had come up with, but what the hell. One plan was better than no plan. With all the speed he could muster, he charged at Shredkill. Shredkill merely smirked as he blocked and dodged Kakashi's kicks and punches. While dodging, he formed a few seals: Monkey, ox and boar. Then he shouted.

"Lightning Element: Electric Pulse jutsu!"

Kakashi was thrown several feet backwards by the jutsu. A small current of electricity had erupted from Shredkill. Fortunately, due to his Sharingan, Kakashi had jumped back in time. Otherwise his nervous system would have been fried. And now Shredkill was forming seals again. Kakashi had only one choice. He had to bet it all. He just hoped his luck wasn't as bad as Tsunade's. Not only for his sake, but for Naruto and the others and his girlfriend back in the Leaf. He charged his Raikiri with so much of his remaining chakra he could afford. He poured all of his hope, love, anger and hate into it. As he thought about Naruto and his girlfriend whom he would have proposed too, he felt a great surge of power run through his body. Just as powerful as the Nine-Tails' chakra. And it was just as sinister if not more. He looked at his Raikiri and was surprised. His Raikiri was dark green or black. It made the water below him slowly drift away and evaporated some of it.

Kakashi glared at Shredkill and let out a small sigh. "Here goes all or nothing." He charged.

Shredkill finished making seals. "…Dragon, ox, ram, snake rabbit, bird, tiger, dragon, horse, monkey ox and tiger! Lightning Element: Lightning Bolt of Doom!"

"Raikiri!"

The orb of chakra that had absorbed the lightning bolts before transformed into one huge lightning bolt that stroke. The end of it and Kakashi's Raikiri made contact almost right in front of Shredkill.

SHIIIISSSHHSHHSHSHWWWHFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!

A bright green explosion of light, a deafening sound and a huge circular wave of electricity was what the impact produced. The wave flew across the lake, and once his ears were able to hear anything again, Kakashi heard some small explosions from the shore. But he had to worry about that later. As the water he was standing on slowly began to settle down, from rising in waves up till 7 metres, Kakashi saw that Shredkill was still breathing. Then he understood. Their attacks had cancelled each other out. The good thing was that Shredkill seemed severely drained for chakra too. Both men's breath were laboured. They locked eyes for three seconds before charging at each other, determined to settle it once and for all with taijutsu. They blocked, dodged, kicked and punched. Shredkill jumped backwards and hurled five shurikens at Kakashi. Kakashi swiftly pulled out a kunai and deflected three of them. However, the last two embedded themselves into his left arm. Shredkill smirked and as he charged he pulled out a kunai. Kakashi was defenceless as Shredkill stabbed him in the heart. Shredkill took a spin on his heels and kicked Kakashi in the chest and thus further embedding the kunai. Kakashi fell and hit the water with a dull splash

Shredkill laughed.

"I won… I won… I finally did it. I killed the Copy-ninja. And now on to the Jinchuuriki."

He stepped over Kakashi's lifeless form and started walking towards the shore. However…

"You should always confirm your kill."

Shredkill's eyes widened in surprise. Kakashi hissing into his ear was the last thing he heard. He felt, in less than a fraction of a second, pain before Kakashi sliced his throat and windpipe.

Kakashi dropped Shredkill's body into the water. He sighed.

"One down. But where is the last one?"

His question was answered from behind. "Right here. Time for you to die."

Kakashi slowly turned around to see Devalan charging with an orb of compressed fire in his right hand. Same move he used in the forest. Kakashi couldn't move his arm. And he had not enough chakra for another Raikiri. Or another jutsu for that matter. He simply started counting down for the impact, satisfied that he had bought enough time for the others to escape.

Ten…nine…eight…seven… six… five… four… three… he turned his head to his left. He had heard a rumbling sound. His eye widened in surprise and shock.

Devalan turned his head too. He paled slightly.

And the only thing that came over their lips when they saw the approaching tidal wave: "Shit"

The wave of electricity hit the chakra cage Sagato was sitting in, causing a minor explosion. No once did he blink. The cage was surrounded by dust and stone. But the cage was intact. But weakened.

"Hm. Going by the nature of that lightning wave, I will say that it was Shredkill's and Hatake's attack clashing that caused it. But what happened to Deidara? One moment he was in the sky, hovering above the castle. The next moment he is taken down into the castle and the castle is gone. And…"

He was interrupted from his reverie when he felt a small heat in his ring. He levelled it to his eyes and spoke. "Speak"

Zetsu's face appeared where there had been the symbol for zero. His black part spoke. "My Lord. We failed in capturing the Jinchuuriki."

Sagato frowned but kept his anger in control. "And Deidara?"

The white side replied this time. "Deidara is still alive. But he is almost out of chakra. I was forced to retreat when I was poisoned by the girl with the pink hair. It's nothing lethal. But I won't be able to fight for a while."

Sagato nodded. His anger was rising. However, his voice remained calm. "Zetsu: Prepare to leave with Deidara at my command. Murdgaki and Blackrose are with Kisame and Itachi. And prepare for cleaning up the aftermath from the battle between Shredkill, Devalan and Hatake."

Zetsu nodded his understanding before disappearing. Sagato quickly contemplated his next move. He assessed the chakra cage's strength. If the one surrounding Kisame and Itachi was as damaged as this one, it would be good. He smiled. Deactivating the Byakugan, he stood up. He inhaled deeply before spreading his arm wide out, assembling his chakra. Then he shouted.

"Wind Element: Violent Typhoon jutsu!

He blew his cage into nothing, and levelled his ring to his face once again and spoke. "Kisame." When Kisame's face appeared in his ring, Sagato continued. "Were your cage hit by a wave of concentrated electricity?"

"Yes. Pretty hard."

For the first time, Sagato smiled. "Excellent. It should be weakened enough for you to crush it. Find a way to release an attack that is so powerful that the cage can't contain it. When done, you, Itachi, Blackrose and Murdgaki will start the pursuit."

Kisame grinned. "Understood." Then he disappeared.

Sagato slowly turned around, and looked in the direction of the now vanished castle. He wouldn't have been able to break the cage with that jutsu if it hadn't been weakened. But that didn't matter. His hunt was about to begin.

Kisame chuckled as he stood up. "You better prepare Itachi-san. We will soon engage them in a full out fight. Murdgaki and Blackrose: Seek higher ground. Now."

Itachi quickly stood up as Kisame clasped his hands together after gathering a vast amount of chakra. "Water Element: Explosive Water Shockwave!"

Kisame cast his head back and then forth as he opened his mouth. He belched out water and by doing so, destroyed the cage. Except that this time around, there was about three times more water than last time. He and Itachi stood on top of it as he continued coming. Due to the rocks surrounding them, a regular tidal wave rose. It continued across the lake. Itachi used this exact moment to send chakra through his ring.

Kisame turned towards Itachi. "Now Itachi-san. Shall we begin the hunt?"

Itachi merely nodded, praying that Kakashi had received his message, as he, Kisame, Blackrose and Murdgaki waited for the water to settle. Once it did, they started running towards the castle, northeast, across the lake.

Kakashi and Devalan saw the tremendous tidal coming. But they reacted differently. Kakashi once again stopped the flow of chakra to his feet and was once again underwater. While there he saw Devalan trying to stop the water with another Devil Flame, but to no avail. He saw Devalan trying teleport away but he was caught by the top of the wave and pulled with it as went. Kakashi was also pulled with it underwater, but not much. As he resurfaced, he slowly stood up. He looked at the ring. He had felt it heat up. What he saw in where there normally would be the character for 'Sphere, there now was a few words.

He paled considerably when he read them out loud before they disappeared.

"Coming. Run."

"Shit. This can only mean one thing. They are coming. All of them."

Kakashi sped off. He would have to hurry. He would have to get to the others before Akatsuki did.

Sagato ran across the water when he felt his ring flare slightly. He had felt it heat a little before, but that was two minutes ago. This time, it continued flaring. Furious he raised it as he kept running.

"Speak."

Zetsu appeared once again. His white part spoke. "Devalan and Shredkill was washed up at our shore two minutes ago. Devalan is still alive, but his chakra level is low. Not as bad as Deidara though."

"And Shredkill?"

The black part answered with a growl. "Dead. His windpipe has been sliced. No trace of the Copy-ninja."

Sagato cursed as he kept running. "Damn it! That means he is still alive. Zetsu: Catch up to us as soon as you can. It's time to end this!"

Zetsu nodded, and then disappeared. Sagato cursed as he increased his speed. "Damn you to Hell Itachi. Your mistake has cost us a member. You will pay for this."

They had all been counting the minutes.

Gaara sighed. "Time is up. It's time to leave."

Runner nodded. "Let's go."

Sakura and Naruto held back their tears. Naruto mumbled softly. "Damn it Kakashi-sensei. Of all the times you have been late, this is the worst of them all."

"Well, sorry I couldn't make it in time. Some habits are just hard to kill I guess. Besides, didn't you once say that heroes always arrives in the nick of time or something like that?"

They abruptly turned their heads towards the entrance. There, standing on the boulders, stood Kakashi. But Sakura's face soon fell as she saw her teacher's condition. As Kakashi jumped down from the boulder and walked over to them, she saw the shurikens in his arm.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're wounded."

Kakashi merely glanced at the two shurikens and sticking out of his arm. And the kunai firmly in place. "Don't worry, I'm fine. But… that kunai was a little to close for my taste."

With one move he pulled it out. Big mistake. He fell to his knees. Sakura was by his side immediately. "Sit still Kakashi-sensei. I will heal you." After one minute she was done. "Phew, that was close. Five millimetres more to the left and one deeper and you would have been dead. Now, time for the arm."

Kakashi stood up abruptly and pulled, much to Sakura's obvious shock and anger, the shurikens out of his arm. He winced slightly at the pain. "No time for that. How's is Naruto?"

Sakura sighed. "Not good 'm afraid. I healed his leg, but due to the seal on his forehead, it broke again. Sasuke can tell you the details. But I think we should get him into his clothes. And…"

Kakashi cut her off. "That will have to wait for now. We have to move, now."

They all stood up. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, then at Kakashi. "What about Naruto? He can't move with that leg."

Kakashi sighed. Time was running out. He swiftly walked over to Naruto. "I know you will protest against this, but I'm going to carry you on my back. Just like I did after your battle with Sasuke at Valley of the End. I will be careful. This is not for discussion. Ready?"

Naruto gave weak nod and grimaced in pain as Kakashi slowly hoisted him onto his back. Kakashi Turned to face the others. "We gotta move. Hurry. Follow my lead."

He started to walk and was about to leap into the trees when he stopped. "Whoops, before I forget." He slowly knelt down and picked up something. When the younger ninjas looked closer, they saw that it was a wire. Kakashi gave it a swift and hard pull with his right hand, never letting go of Naruto.

BOOOOUUUUUMMMM!! CRRRRAAAAACCCCCKCKCKCKAAAAACCKCK!!!

They all turned towards the passage and saw it had been completely blocked by boulders. Kakashi smirked as they turned around. "That was why I had to go earlier. I had to set up some traps to stall Akatsuki if we should need a quick exit. Hopefully this will buy us some time. Now, let's move it. Follow my lead. This place is covered with traps. Some are mine, others are set up by Akatsuki and some are of unknown origin."

They all nodded as they took off, only stepping on the branches Kakashi stepped on. Kakashi was in the lead with Naruto firmly on his back. Right after him their line was: Sakura, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Gaara and Neji in the rear with Runner beside him.

Naruto felt like a small child right now, and was certain that others would have the same opinion of him. But he couldn't care less. For right he was with the people precious to him. Moreover, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, if he ever had felt it. He felt safe.

Kakashi panted slightly. But he didn't slow down. He knew that Akatsuki soon would be hot on their heels. And he knew that if Akatsuki caught up to them before the bridge, they would have to face the Leader of Akatsuki. A fight they couldn't win. Kakashi sighed. This was a race against the time. The hunt had begun, and they were the prey.

End of chapter 14.


	18. Chapter 18: Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Meetings

Sagato felt his blood boil with anger. Almost all of the Akatsuki members were standing in front of the entrance to the castle. Or more specific: what was left of it. They had all concluded that the entrance had been blocked by some well placed explosive tags. And perhaps also the fight between Gaara and Deidara. Deidara was right now sitting on a rock, cursing.

"I can't believe I lost. Damn Jinchuuriki. If he hadn't been so close, I could have taken the sand Jinchuuriki down with everything I've got. Speaking of which, I still don't understand why he is alive, hm. They die when the Bijuu has been extracted. And he was dead, I'm sure of it."

"Obviously he has been revived."

Deidara glared at Kisame for and was about to retort when Sagato turned around and growled with menace.

"Shut up. We have other things to worry about. Besides, Zetsu should return any minute now."

Just as the name left his lips, Zetsu appeared. The mantle parted and his white part spoke. "They are on the move. And they have a good head start. The forest has been refilled with traps. Most likely the Copy-ninja's doing. It will take time disabling them while giving pursuit. And to make things worse, the Hokage and her party is approaching. They will reach the bridge within the next 24 hours. It appears that the ones Shredkill and Devalan wounded during the delay have recovered, although they are moving a lot slower than the others. And my guess is that Copy-ninja and his companions will reach the bridge within 24 hours too. And no matter how much I would want to fight, my body is still being affected by the poison and thus mine chakra is being affected. And my levels are too low right now. It will take more than 24 hours to replenish until I can fight again."

Sagato's fury went up by a notch. This was becoming insufferable. One member died, three incapacitated due to chakra depletion. And one who's loyalty was more than doubtful. However, he didn't let it show as slowly turned around to face Itachi.

"You've worked with that damned Copy-ninja before; you should know his trap system. Your task is simple: Clear a path for us. And if I even suspect you for being slow on purpose, you will once again feel my anger. Is that understood?"

Itachi slowly stood up and spoke with a firm voice. "Yes my Lord."

They crossed the boulders with big caution, and soon they were on the other side. Itachi activated his Sharingan and started looking around at all of the traps and saw their connection. He felt his lips curve up slightly, which went unnoticed by the other members. Kakashi had connected his own traps in an intricate system with the previous ones. Furthermore, he had set them up in the only system that Itachi never really mastered while in the ANBU: The Mirror Dragon system. A system invented by Kakashi himself. Most of the traps were connected with each other by a thin, thin wire. Sometimes the same explosive tag could have several wires attached. And as the name suggested, mirrors were included in this particular system. They had two functions: The first was to mirror the wires, giving the victim the idea that there were more wires than there really were. The other: To reflect as much light as possible in order to partially blind the one who was disabling the trap. Or at least trying to do so. Thus making it a perfect counter against, say, Sharingan, as its superior insight would be diminished. After all, Sharingan is no use if the user has to keep his eyes shut. And the mirrors were set such that they would get light, as long as there is any, regardless of their position. Either directly from for example the sun or from other mirrors. Itachi looked up. The thunder has stopped and the sun would soon make its appearance. And since the last fight had lasted some time, and it would soon be noon; it would soon be so high in the sky that they would suffer the full reflection of the light. Itachi bit his lip to prevent himself from chuckling. But also, since Sharingan would see the smallest things, it was more than likely that the eyes would be deceived by the numbers of reflections. Kakashi had indeed made it hard for him. He began disabling the traps, very slowly. While he did it, he thought back to the first time he encountered this trap. It had been about a year after the Nine-Tails' attack. Rin had moved in together with Kakashi that year. Itachi had been thrilled. The only ones who saw and treated him as what he was, a kid, but still trained him, lived together. They were the only ones who ever cared for him, who tried to give him a normal childhood since they hadn't had one. Their childhood had been one of war and death, and they didn't wish that for Itachi. Of course the old man, the Third Hokage shared that wish, but the Third was busy most of the time. One day, when Itachi had come to visit, Rin was taking a shower. Her clothes were right outside the door. Itachi was very happy. He had heard Jiraiya and the Third talking about how happy women became when their clothes were removed. So Itachi had taken Rin clothes and ran away as fast as he could. He ran and ran until he reached the training ground with the Memorial Stone. He ran into forest just to be met by a blinding light. He had closed his eyes as a reflex and had run straight into a tree, knocking him out cold. When he woke up, Kakashi was standing in front of him with a worried expression. Itachi had rubbed his neck sheepishly and showed Kakashi Rin's clothes. Big mistake. Kakashi had used Itachi to perfect 'A Thousand Years of Death'. Damn that hurt. It didn't become any better when a furious and fuming Rin arrived. To add insult to injury, she had given him a wedgie.

(AN: Is performed like this: Slip a hand or finger down into the person underpants and pull upwards as fast and hard as you can.)

Then she knocked Itachi out cold with a blow to the head and the next thing Itachi knew, he was dangling upside down from the First Hokage's nostrils wearing a green jumpsuit. Itachi had spent the entire day dangling there, looking like a big booger. With sound, as his furious screams could be heard far and wide. When Rin and Kakashi finally had forgiven him and took him down, he had explained why he had done it. Their expression softened by his tale and they had looked at each other with a mischievous look in their eyes. The next time Itachi saw Jiraiya, he had several red hands on his face and pink hair. And the Third's load of paperwork seemed to have increased tenfold. Itachi smiled inwardly. Those were fun days. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he continued disabling some of the traps. He looked at his hand for a moment. It was burned and several places the bone could be seen several places. Oh yeah, the Leader had been furious and Itachi had been on the receiving line of his anger. But Itachi didn't care. A wounded hand was worth paying as long as Sasuke and Naruto didn't fall into the Akatsuki's hands.

Kakashi slowly felt exhaustion kick in. He panted heavily. But he guessed that wasn't surprising at all. He was tired from the battle against Devalan and Shredkill and Naruto wasn't as light as last time he did this. 50.9 kg was something after all. And they had been running like this for hours by now. They needed rest. He did anyway. And he was certain that Itachi would drag out his work by removing the traps as long as he could. And just for good measure he had used the system Itachi always had trouble with. Then again, only Itachi, Kakashi himself, Yamato and the rest of the 'Death Dealers' knew the system. Even the Sannin or the Third didn't knew about it. Kakashi sighed in relief when he saw a little clearing with a small river. He turned his head slightly.

"There is a little clearing up ahead. We will rest there and get something to drink and eat."

The other nodded in agreement and they quickly got to the clearing. Once there, they found, much to everybody's relief, the remaining field equipment Kakashi and Neji had and set up a small camp. Neji and Runner were to take the first watch. They had been running for hours and Kakashi assured them that they could afford several hours of rest. 6 hours exactly; one hour for every hour they had been running. If everything went smoothly, they would arrive by the bridge and, hopefully, safety within the next 14 hours.

Kakashi set Naruto down by a tree. Naruto whimpered and winced a bit due to the pain, but they hadn't any painkillers so there wasn't much they could do about it. Right now anyway. Sakura and Gaara provided food, fish, berries, mushrooms and water, while Sasuke and Shikamaru got a fire going. When they all had eaten and something to drink, they went to sleep. Runner and Neji took the first watch, next was Shikamaru and Gaara, then Sakura and Runner and last Kakashi and Sasuke. Through the entire time they heard small explosions; Akatsuki were disabling the traps.

Kakashi woke up when it was his turn. To his astonishment he felt that a lot of his and the Nine-Tails' chakra had been replenished, and he briefly wondered how many times he could have avoided the hospital due to chakra exhaustion if he had had this ability earlier. But he was soon brought out of his reveries when he stood up and saw that all of them were awake. He slowly walked over to Neji, whom had his Byakugan activated.

"What do you see, Neji-kun?"

Neji frowned a bit. "The Akatsuki members are still on the move. They're approaching, slowly, but surely. They will be here within two hours. At it appears there is one new with them this time. One none of us have seen before. I can't tell you much, but he has two scars crossing down the right side of his face. One down the eye."

Kakashi paled. "He is the leader of Akatsuki. We better move as soon as we can, since there will be less traps later on. But before that… Naruto and Sasuke… And Lord Kazekage… with me, now."

They all looked at him puzzled. He sighed. "I will explain later. We will get going as soon as we're done."

They all nodded and walked into another clearing about 100 metres from the others. The clearing was as big as the other, about 25*25 metres, but in the middle was there a huge stone plate. It was completely circular, 10 metres in diameter. When they stood on the edge, they saw that its surface was completely smooth. Naruto glanced puzzled at Kakashi, while Gaara and Sasuke supported him.

"Kakashi-sensei? What is this place?"

Kakashi sighed and took out a small scroll from a pouch in his vest. "This clearing is, if I remember correctly, where one of the guard towers to Satur used to be. This plate is the bottom of the tower. I guess the rest has either been removed as building material or has been demolished by wind and weather. But we have business to attend to. Gaara-kun, can you scratch all of this down on the surface? It needs to fill the entire stone, except a circle that measures one metre in diameter. Also, I need you to place a kunai in each of the world corners: North etc. And two in southeast, northeast, southwest and northwest. It must be completely, down to every detail, as this scroll shows. The grooves need to be one centimetre deep and filled with water. Can you do that?"

Gaara took the scroll and looked at the inscription of the pattern he was supposed to make. He frowned slightly. There were five circles. That would be easy enough. But making all of the kanji and other signs that were spread over the entire space would be difficult. But then again, he wasn't the youngest Kazekage in history for nothing. It wasn't just his strength that gave him the title. He was smart and had his own way of doing things. He slowly nodded.

Kakashi smiled with relief.

"Excellent. While Lord Kazekage do this, Naruto, you will have to sit down a little. In the meantime, Sasuke and I will have a little chat. I think I need to have a serious talk with him about what he has done. Depending on his answers, I will decide whether or not I will kill him."

Naruto looked completely horrified. "Kill… Sasuke? But… but… Kakashi-sensei! I promised Sakura-chan that I would bring him back! All of my training… It will be in vain if… if you kill him! Can… Can you really make yourself do that? It will crush Sakura-chan and… me."

Kakashi looked at Naruto with concern. Then he shifted to Sasuke with a glare filled with anger and back to Naruto, once again filled with concern. "You have to understand, Naruto, that the moment Sasuke abandoned the Leaf, he turned Missing-nin. Those are normally tracked down and killed due to the secrets their bodies contain. You remember Zabuza right? He was a Missing-nin and constantly had the Hunter-nin from his village hot on his heels. It's only because Lady Tsunade has been very lenient for yours and Sakura's sake that she hasn't send out ANBU to track Sasuke down. That, and the risks for encountering Orochimaru were too big. However, due to what happened recently, I have no longer time for being nice. If Sasuke can convince me that he really is sorry for what has done, and answer my questions without lying, I will let him live. However…" Kakashi turned his head to face Sasuke. "If I even suspect you for lying, I will kill you on the spot. Is that clear… Sasuke?"

Naruto looked like he was about to protest but Sasuke, who had been impassive during the whole thing, cut him off before he even began. "Don't Naruto. Kakashi is right. I understand his reasoning." He turned to Kakashi. "I accept what you have said. But let me ask one thing before we begin. "Kakashi nodded and Sasuke continued. "What is the purpose of what Gaara is making?"

Kakashi took a quick glance at Gaara, who was busy making what the description showed, before answering.

"Simply put: I want that leash Orochimaru has on you removed." When he saw Sasuke's expression, a combination of shock and disbelief, he chuckled. "Your Curse Mark. It has been hurting during the entire run, hasn't it? I felt Orochimaru's chakra pulsating in it in a way that most likely was for tracking you. And it will help me remove that seal on Naruto's forehead. By the way, Naruto, when we are done here, you better get your clothes back on. Otherwise you will catch a cold."

Naruto merely nodded numbly, now focusing at Gaara. Kakashi watched in amazement as Gaara made his remaining sand whirl in the air for five minutes. Then the sand dropped onto the stone. Kakashi's eye widened slightly when he saw what Gaara was doing. He had made his sand make a perfect imitation of the drawing, just in large scale, and now it rested peacefully on the rock. Then it started moving very fast, and Kakashi realised that it was slowly cutting its way down into the rock, making the cuttings exactly like they were supposed to be. Kakashi chuckled. This drawing was about ten times more complicated than when he sealed up Sasuke's Curse Mark almost three years ago. Speaking of Sasuke.

"Let's go, Sasuke. I want to be out of earshot."

Sasuke merely nodded and followed and followed Kakashi to the far side of the clearing. Once there, Sasuke chuckled coldly. "You know, Kakashi: I'm no longer that little boy that will just do whatever you say. So don't even think about bossing me around. I've kept quiet now for Naruto's sake, but I won't as soon as we get back to the Leaf. Likewise, how will you ensure that I don't lie to you? You can't hypnotize me to telling you the truth with your Sharingan, because I can play that way too. And I'm stronger than you now. And…"

Sasuke was cut off as Kakashi grabbed him around the throat with his left hand and with such a speed that Sasuke didn't realize what happened before his back was slammed into a nearby tree.

Kakashi slowly locked eyes with Sasuke, Sharingan staring into Sharingan. A snarl escaped his lips as he held Sasuke in a vice-like grip.

"Listen, and listen very carefully, Sasuke. You may have gotten stronger, but compared to Akatsuki, Itachi, Orochimaru and me, you're nothing but an annoying brat. A punk in other words. And right now I have the upper hand, and while you hang there, let me tell you something. You do as I tell you to. Nothing more, nothing less. And don't even think about trying your full-body Chidori or whatever it's called." Kakashi had felt Sasuke channelling chakra and converting it into lightning, and tightened his grip instantly as he felt it. He also channelled a little of his chakra for a Raikiri, stopping Sasuke immediately. "Final warning Sasuke. Anything like that again, and I will snap your neck like a twig. Do you understand?"

Sasuke, struggling to breath, nodded. Kakashi let go of Sasuke, causing Sasuke to fall unceremoniously. When Sasuke tried to stand up, he found out that he couldn't. His entire body had gone numb. He glared at Kakashi. "What the hell did you do?"

Kakashi chuckled slightly. "Whoops. I think that I intentionally paralyzed your body by channelling lightning-natured chakra into your body." When Kakashi saw that Sasuke didn't buy it, he let out a small sigh and chuckled again. "All right. I did it on purpose. I guessed that you wouldn't be willing to allow me to do this."

Kakashi started forming seals. Sasuke chuckled slightly. "I thought that you were going to ask questions, not torture. And don't bother trying hypnotism. I won't work against my Sharingan."

At this, Kakashi almost laughed. "You have forgotten everything I taught I see. Ninjas need to think beyond the normal, to look underneath the underneath. I'm not going to use hypnotism nor torture. I'm not Ibiki for crying out loud. My methods are more refined, thank you very much. I said I was going to ask you questions. I only did that to reassure Naruto. Questions won't get me anywhere due to the reasons you mentioned. And I don't know if I would be able to overpower you if we fought, but I think so. That's the splendid with a sneak attack: Rank and power doesn't matter. But enough talk. This jutsu enables me to see your memories. And your thoughts and feelings at a given time. And I'm going to start with after you defeated Naruto 2½ years ago and end with now. It will take a long time, but hopefully it will be worth it. Oh, one more thing: When I paralyzed you, I also affected your chakra network. Perhaps you haven't noticed yet, but your Sharingan disappeared the moment I channelled chakra into you. Thus, you can't copy this jutsu. Plus, with this jutsu I can manipulate your memory slightly."

As he stopped talking, Sasuke realized that Kakashi was right. And Kakashi picked up his speed at forming seals, making his hands become a blur with motions. 100 seals later, and Kakashi was ready. He locked eyes with Sasuke and placed his right palm on Sasuke's forehead.

"Demonic Mind Spy jutsu!"

With that, he went into Sasuke's memories, thoughts and emotions.

00000000

"Now then… who of you should I kill first?"

All who was present felt a shiver run down their spine. Even Sai. He hadn't felt like this since his first encounter with Sasuke. Sai was in the moment perching behind a still standing advertising sign on a roof, looking down on the street where the others were. Ibiki had called this guy a member of Root. But Sai couldn't get it to make sense. Root didn't wear uniforms like that. Their cloaks didn't reach the ground. And they certainly didn't wear light leather boots like that. Those boots were closed completely, while Root wore traditional ninja sandals. Sai didn't know who the hell this guy was, so he decided to stay put for now.

Ibiki was the first who found his courage to speak to the stranger.

"You? Kill us? Even if you're one of the elite units of Root, you're still outnumbered. So tell us now: What is Danzou's plan? Tell us freely or we will drag you to my interrogation chamber. And…"

Ibiki trailed off when Dracula raised his head and their eyes met. If Orochimaru had scared the living daylight out of Ibiki with his eyes, this guy certainly gave Orochimaru a run for his money. Dracula chuckled when he saw Ibiki's and the others' pale faces. If his eyes alone was enough to scare them like that, what would his entire face so do? Or his power for that matter.

"I'm no Root soldier, whatever Root is. Drag me to your interrogation chamber? And do what, torture me? Well, good luck with that. I could of course break free as soon as I got there, but that would be one hell of a waste of time. And I must admit, I can mention hundreds of other things I would rather spend my time doing."

Inoichi let out a small hiss. "Enough of this. I can do this a lot faster than you, Ibiki."

He quickly formed a seal and went into Dracula's mind.

-Dracula's mind-

It was black as coal, and Inoichi couldn't see one damn thing. "What the Hell?"

"Welcome to my mind, Yamanaka. Do you like what you see? Now, do you go out of my mind willingly or do I have to use force?"

Inoichi looked around, just to be rewarded with a punch in the face. And one more, and one more.

"I'm losing my patience here Yamanaka. Get out, now. Oh, I see now. You are looking for traces after the young girl from the Nara clan. I thought I saw one clan missing out there. Two, actually. Where is Hyuuga? Ah, to the meeting with the feudal lord. And… you fear for your daughter."

Inoichi paled. ""What? How… this is impossible, how can you do those things? I'm the one supposed to be reading your mind, not the other way around! Who on Earth are you?"

"You don't need to know. But let me tell you this. Shikala Nara is safe. And so is your daughter. But I've had enough of this. Mind Blast!"

-Back in reality-

Inoichi was thrown several feet backwards before landing hard on his back. When he stood up, his legs were trembling. He glanced once at Dracula before collapsing to the ground. The others glanced once at Inoichi then at Dracula. Then they attacked. Dracula broke free by giving a quick pull with the left arm, causing Anko to fly towards him. He quickly released some of his chakra, blasting the other restrains away. He aimed a kick for her stomach when his eyes widened in surprise and instead aimed a kick that made contact with her chest, sending into a wall where she slumped down it, unconscious.

Aoba formed a few seals and the entire street was filled with ravens and crows. Dracula looked around, apparently very amused. He smiled as a black sword stroke. He dodged it and decked Raidou by kicking him in the back of his head. He caught all of the senbons fired from Shizune and Genma and blew Genma through a building with a shockwave, created by releasing a little amount of chakra in his right hand and making it explode once it was out in the open. The shockwave also took away the ravens and crows, or at least most of them. He looked up, just to see six rotating things coming for him. However, where normal people wouldn't have been able to see more than just spinning things, Dracula had no troubles making out the figures of Hana and Tsume Inuzuka and their dogs. Smiling he jumped into the air to meet them. He flipped and rotated, delivering kicks and punches. He hit all of them once. Not hard enough to kill, just to knock them out cold. But hard enough to send through a building or two. Dracula let out a small growl.

"Mutts." Dracula looked down and saw something that resembled wooden spears coming for him. When he followed them downwards, he saw that they emerged from a young man with brown hair. What surprised him a little was that they came from his arm. Dracula smiled slightly.

"Well, this is a surprise, if even a little. It appears the First has more than one descendant. Guess I will have to ask him. Later."

Dracula vanished in a cloud of black smoke, just to reappear behind Aoba. Aoba spun around and kicked. Dracula ducked and placed a kick with his heel in Aoba's left kidney. Aoba fell to the ground, coughing up blood. Dracula vanished once again, this time just by moving fast and not teleporting, as several senbons and a massive gust of wind hit where he had been. He appeared behind Temari and knelt down. One quick move with his leg, and he swept her off her feet. She used a substitution before he landed a devastating kick to her stomach. Dracula chuckled amazed.

"Impressive. Not many as young as you can dodge my attacks by doing something that simple."

Temari panted and swung her fan again, creating another blast of wind. "Thank you. But you won't get a second chance."

Dracula allowed himself to get hit. He was blown backwards. Then he heard a sound coming from behind. He didn't either bother moving to prevent himself from being encased in Kuroari.

(AN:The ugly puppet with the red horns and six arms.)

Kankurou smirked. "I've got you now. Eat this: Puppet Performance, Black Secret Technique!"

Karasu's detached limps embedded themselves in their respective holes, causing Kankurou to give a smug smile. He turned to face Shizune and Yamato. "Sorry about that. But that bloke was just too dangerous to be left alive. And… What the Hell?"

They all heard. A cold, mirthless laughter, coming from inside Kuroari. They all looked at the puppet and gasped as black smoke leaked out of it. When the smoke was out, it quickly formed Dracula, unharmed. He let out a small chuckle.

"That was fun. But I'm slowly getting bored, so how about we get a little more serious?"

Kankurou cursed as he reattached the limbs and attacked again. "Poison Fog, Blind Spot Destroyer!"

Karasu fired to two poison bombs. Once Dracula was engulfed in the poison fog, Karasu and Kuroari fired their senbons. Kankurou smirked. "Take that."

"I did. Poison won't work at me."

The poison dispersed, and the Leaf and Sand ninja got a new shock. Dracula was holding all of the senbons in his left hand and his right and the right hand squeezed his nose, closing his nostrils. He released the grip of his nose and chuckled. "This kind of poison is harmless as long as you don't inhale it. But really, ninjas shouldn't fool around with toys."

Dracula moved quickly and destroyed Karasu, Kuroari and Sanshouuo with three small green fireballs from his right hand. The remnants of the three puppets now lay burning, with normal flames, on the ground, much to Kankurou's horror.

"Impossible. No one, if we exclude Sasori, has avoided and destroyed my puppets that easily. Who are you?"

Dracula turned to face him. He let out a small chuckle. "None of your business. Another thing. Boys shouldn't wear make-up. But then again: After seeing how you fight… I doubt your gender."

Kankurou's eyes went wide. The last part was spoken from behind. The next thing Kankurou know was that he was slammed into a wall, face first, then put in a dustbin and hurled down the street. Temari prepared for a counterattack, but the moment she raised her fan, she was hit. She barely registered that she was hit before she was out cold. Thus, she barely felt the back of Dracula's hand make contact with her cheek before she was sent through a wall.

Dracula looked to his left, right, behind and front and saw four heavy rotating balls coming and a buzzing sound from above. He smiled. Leaf sninobi surely understood putting up a show. He quickly started spinning to the right. The balls made contact with a loud bang and smoke started to erupt from the ground due to the heat. Then the balls stopped spinning, by Dracula's own rotation, they turned into Chouza and some others from the Akimichi clan. Dracula stopped rotating too and delivered a kick to each of them, sending them through building and knocking them out. Once he was done with that, he looked up and breathed fire, burning most of Shibi Aburame's bugs instantly. Then he swiftly went and knocked Shibi out. Dracula exhaled and glanced around. Only Shizune and Yamato was still standing. And of course…

"Oi, little boy on the roof. Come down here. I know you have been there the entire time. Get down here now. I will be really pissed if I have to come up and drag you down."

Sai's eyes went wide at Dracula's statement. This guy… he was not normal. Sai pulled out his little sword and came down. He took up position left to Shizune while Yamato took up the right.

Dracula gave them a bored look. Until his eyes fell on Sai's outfit. He felt his eyebrow twitch violently several times. His voice was low, but he was almost bursting into a laughing fit.

"Tell me: What is wrong with the males in this town? I seriously don't know what outfit looks most ridiculous: this guy or those two green spandex wearing weirdoes."

The mood almost turned 180 degrees. From being on high alert, to a relaxed state. Shizune was the first to speak.

"You've met Gai-san and Lee-kun? When? Where?"

Dracula let out a sigh. "I met them a day or two ago. They were together with the Hokage and the rest of her party. They were fine last I met them. More or less anyway. The young one had been severely injured, but I fixed it. Now, I have a couple of questions for you. One: the man with the brown hair; you use Wood Element. Are you descending from the First Hokage? Two: Why is the boy wearing that hideous outfit and smiling that fake smile? Three: can I soon proceed with my business here, or shall I knock you three down and eat the pig? From the looks of it, it could make a good portion of bacon."

Tonton squeaked and ran away as fast she could. Shizune, Sai and Yamato all tensed. Yamato answered the question meant for him.

"I wish I could say that I'm a descendant of the First Hokage, but no. I can use Wood Element because someone infused some of the First's DNA into me when I was a kid."

Dracula nodded. That was answer enough. He pointed at Sai, who answered his normal way.

"I wear those clothes because I wear them. But you must be wearing yours in order to compensate for the lack of a something. Do you even have one? As for my smile: I'm still learning to understand people. I read in a book that a smile is the easiest way to befriend people."

Dracula's eyebrow twitched violently. That kid… was one heck of a weirdo, who seemed to have specialized in rubbing people the wrong way. And Dracula had had it with rude people. First that swearing idiot from Akatsuki and now this guy. Time to teach him a lesson about manners. Dracula moved fast. In one second he was staring at Sai, the next moment he was kicking the said person hard between the legs.

Sai fell to the ground, clutching his more personal parts Dracula had been very cruel; he had kicked him hard, but not hard enough to make him lose consciousness. In other words, Sai was right now feeling the entire pain, but couldn't drift into blissful unconsciousness. Yamato merely made a grimace, showing his sympathy for Sai. Shizune seemed like she wanted to help, but Dracula's gaze kept her from doing it. His voice was low when he spoke again.

"Piece of advise boy: Next time, read about manners before you read about how to befriend people. And now little lady, it is time you take me to the Hokage Tower. This civil war comes to an end now. You can tell me about what happened while we walk."

And so Dracula, Shizune and Yamato started walking towards the Hokage Tower, leaving Sai groaning in pain. And of course, Dracula retrieved the book.

Shizune told him everything, starting from Hinata's death. Apparently, this guy named Danzou was behind all of this. Him and one guy called Orochimaru. Dracula soon figured out that Orochimaru had been the creator of the poison in Iruka, but not alone. According to his knowledge, Orochimaru was once a member of Akatsuki. And his partner was Sasori, a famous puppet and poison master. If Dracula wasn't mistaken, and he was certain he wasn't, Orochimaru and Sasori had been together in inventing that poison. Shizune continued. Dracula's curiosity was really prodded when he learned that the Hyuuga clan's internal conflict reached new highs in the middle of the civil war a couple of days ago. Apparently, some of the Hyuuga Elders had sided with Danzou alongside with some of the main family members, while Hiashi Hyuuga had sided with Shizune and the others alongside with the branch members. It didn't take a genius to figure out Orochimaru's game plan. By killing the Hyuuga main family's heir, a dispute was bound to happen. That dispute had only one purpose: To prevent the strongest clan in the Leaf from putting an end to the civil war. And his plan had worked really well. Dracula's curiosity was further prodded when Yamato told him that he and Sai had destroyed a funny looking machine. It had been found in Root's headquarters a few hours prior to their encounter. It had been big and looked like something that belonged to a power plant. There had been eight pipes spitting out something called grenades. From what Dracula could understand, there had been a little vial with chakra, and on something called a display, the name Shredkill had been seen.

Dracula sighed and rubbed his temples in annoyance as they walked. Something told him that he only had seen the top of the iceberg. Or at least the Village had. He had felt someone was under genjutsu, but things seemed to be bit more complicated than that. He was beginning to regret he made that deal.

00000000

Danzou stood up. "Tsunade has failed in her duty as Hokage. Due to her incapability to protect the village, the Hyuuga main family's heir was killed. My condolence therefore goes to Hiashi Hyuuga, who lost his daughter. And now, due to her absence, the Village has been thrown into a civil war! What we need is a strong leader! A leader who won't be absent and allow this tragedy to continue! A leader who can unite the people of the Hidden Leaf. One who can lead the Leaf Village to its former glory! That leader is me!"

A cold voice was heard from the door to the Hokage office where the meeting was being held.

"You speak with two tongues. You must be Danzou. You speak of ensuring the people's safety, but it was your men who started the entire trouble. You say that you will rebuild the village to its former glory, yet you have done nothing but putting hindrances in the way. Your secret alliance with Hanzo, your constant opposing of the now deceased Third Hokage. And when the Nine-Tails was sealed, you did everything in your power to either kill the boy, or raise him into weapon. But let me tell you this: This farce of a meeting comes to an end, right now, right here."

All eyes in the office whirled towards the door and saw a stranger standing in the door. He wore a black cloak with his hood up. He wore a couple of light black leather boots. His hands were hidden in sleeves of his cloak. But what shocked the most of them was his eyes. Completely red with exception of his pupils; black vertical slits.

Dracula saw that he had every ones' attention and let out a mirthless chuckle. He hadn't seen the Village Elders since they were little kids. And he wasn't impressed with what they turned into.

Homura Mitokado, the old male adviser, was the first to regain his composure. "What is the meaning of this? This is a closed meeting, no one has summoned you."

Koharu Utatane, Homura's female companion continued. "Who are you? Besides, Danzou has a point. As Hokage, you're supposed to protect and maintain peace in the Village. Tsunade has failed in both. As the Village councillors, we are bound to react. The Village need a new leader. And…"

Dracula cut her off with cold growl. "Be silent you old hag. I didn't walk through the realms of the Underworld and back just to bicker with some senile old fools. Danzou talk about restoring the village to its former glory, and yet he has only opposed the philosophy that made this village prosper more than any other village, including mine. The philosophy who sought to bring an end to the era of wars. I hopefully don't need to remind you of that time, do I? And now you wish to install a leader who goes against that philosophy? You must be more foolish and senile than I thought. The Senju brothers would be cringing in their graves if they ever heard of this."

Dracula paused and narrowed his gaze at the Elders.

"And if I remember correctly, you were taught by Tobirama Senju, also known as the Second Hokage. The water element and genjutsu user. Taught by Tobirama, and yet you haven't realized that you both are under genjutsu? You people are pathetic. Release!"

As he spoke the last word, the genjutsu over Homura, Koharu, the Hyuuga Elders and those from the main house were released from the genjutsu. They blinked all as if they just had woken up However, they weren't the only ones who had been under genjutsu.

Dracula slowly turned his head to face Danzou. His voice was low, but it was still cold as ice.

"So, Danzou. How much of this did you do of your own free will? Or was the genjutsu just an insurance to prevent yourself from being prosecuted for high treason. So who is your real ally? Akatsuki or Orochimaru? Oh well, that isn't my headache to find out. I came to end a war, and I have done that now. But let me warn all of you: If anyone tries anything funny until the Hokage returns, my army will be upon this town instantly. Only those of genin level shall be spared."

He looked at the Feudal lord who seemed to be ready to come with an indignant outburst. Dracula let out a low warning hiss.

"Shut it, coward. Thanks to your cowardice, this town was almost thrown into the hands of warmonger. I bid you all farewell."

As Dracula turned around, Danzou started reaching for his bandages. Dracula stopped in his track and send Danzou a warning through telepathy.

"_Feel free to expose your Sharingan. I don't care. However, it would be troublesome for you explaining it to the other elders. Besides, even if you did and called the entire Root, it wouldn't matter. I would kill them all in matter of seconds." _

Danzou stopped his hand and glared at Dracula's back. He stood up and walked out. When he reached Dracula, he snarled, making sure none of the other elders heard him.

"I will become Hokage one day. No one, not even you, can prevent that from happening."

Dracula merely chuckled and shrugged. "Perhaps old man, perhaps. But it won't be today. Also, don't think you won't be killed by my army if you try anything funny. My army never rest, never eat and never drink; they will hunt until their target is found or I command them to do otherwise. And they don't have any emotions- much like your own army."

Danzou merely glared at the stranger and walked away. Dracula shrugged and continued down the corridor towards the exit of the tower, ignoring the unconscious ANBU and Root members he passed. He chuckled slightly. One touch, and they were out cold. He reached the gate, where Shizune was waiting, holding a shaking Tonton in her arms. He reached Shizune just as Yamato appeared from the ground. He chuckled slightly.

"Quite effective. You're very convincing. I actually believed you when you said your army would kill anybody above genin level. Sorry, but couldn't help but listening in."

Dracula glanced at Yamato. "I knew you were eavesdropping. But let me warn you now, I wasn't joking about my army."

Dracula saw Yamato pale, but he couldn't care less. He bit his thumb, and made long series of unknown seals and ended in the normal two hands chakra focusing seal. "Death Summoning: Gates of the Undead Guard Legion."

Instantly gates appeared along the Leaf Village walls. And what horrible gates. Build of bones and with black iron doors. And two knights clad in black armour were guarding each gate, red eyes looking from their helmets. Similar gates appeared in a circle by the centre of the village. Dracula sighed and locked eyes with Shizune and Yamato.

"Those gates will be invisible to the civilians, but all of them who has ninja training will be able to see them. They can't be seen or sensed for the outside. Those guards will see and sense anything. If anybody tries anything before the Hokage returns, the gates will open. And don't worry about Danzou. One of my messengers are giving him the same message as I'm giving you now. There are also gates in Root's headquarters, so he will know that I'm serious. These gates will crumble upon the Hokage's return. Now, goodbye."

He disappeared in puff of black smoke, just to reappear outside the main gate. He gathered a lot of chakra and without uttering a word or moving his hands at all, he set up a powerful jutsu that would erase anything about him from the people inside the village's walls memory once the Hokage stepped inside the village. And of course the same thing happened with anyone who passed through the dome that was visible for a second. As said, the dome encased the entire village and it ended about thirty metres from the walls and into the woods. Once done, he teleported away. But before he teleported away, he heard the gates creak open, just to shut again with a deafening metallic sound. He chuckled slightly. Now they knew that he meant business.

He appeared in a forest and looked up. Then he burst out laughing. He must be slipping. There was no need to worry about the sun when it was 1 a.m.

000000000

Kakashi sighed as he withdrew from Sasuke's mind. He felt exhausted. Sasuke had many barriers in his mind, so that took its toll on Kakashi's chakra reserves. But he had other things to worry about for the moment. Judging by the setting sun, since the storm had drifted east, almost an hour had passed since he went into Sasuke's memory. And his legs hurt like hell now. But again, he would have time to worry about that later. Now he had to worry about that seal on Naruto's forehead and Sasuke's Curse Mark. He muttered silently as he stood up.

"How troublesome." He let out a sigh and smiled a little.

"I've seen everything I need. Sasuke, I've seen no sign of deception. Not that you could hide it for this jutsu anyway. Therefore, you can return to the Hidden Leaf Village. From there it will be up to the Hokage to decide your faith. Do you accept that?"

Sasuke, who had let out a painful gasp when Kakashi entered his mind, nodded. How the Hell was he supposed to know that his former sensei could be such a badass? Regaining his breath he stood up too. "Now what?"

Kakashi glanced at Gaara, who merely nodded. He sighed. "Now we deal with that bothersome seal on Naruto's forehead and your Curse Mark. Follow me."

They walked swiftly back to stone and Kakashi motioned for Gaara to support Naruto into the middle of the stone. Gaara obeyed quickly as he seemed to have noticed time as well. Naruto sat down, wincing at the pain. Kakashi knelt down and locked eyes with Naruto. Naruto looked away.

"Naruto, look at me." Reluctantly Naruto returned the gaze. Kakashi sighed. "I've seen everything Sasuke has done. I will not deny that I'm pissed at him, but that will have to wait for later. As I said, I have seen everything he has done the last 2/½ years up till now. He isn't proud of it, but he believed in Orochimaru and thought that what he was doing was worth it, as long as he gained power. But he started having a change of heart after he was confronted by you, Sai, Sakura and Yamato. And let me say this as it is. Orochimaru has tricked many people smarter and older and than Sasuke in the past. Hopefully Sasuke won't fall for something like this again. But for now, he can return to the Leaf. Once we get back, we will leave it to Lady Tsunade to decide what shall happen to him. Now, Naruto, do you trust me?"

Much happier, Naruto nodded. Kakashi eye-smiled and motioned for Gaara and Sasuke to step away from the stone. They did and Kakashi made a special hand seal. Naruto gasped.

"Kakashi-sensei, isn't that the seal to…"

"Yeah, it's the seal to gather chakra for my Mangekyou Sharingan. Almost done… there! Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Naruto let out a yell of surprise, fear and pain as he Kakashi aimed his Mangekyou Sharingan right on his forehead. He felt his face being dragged into the dimensional space and then… nothing. He slowly lifted his hand to his hands to his forehead. He felt his fingers make contact with something hot and sticky. His blood. But there was something else. He could feel the wound starting to heal, even it was slowly. But that would mean… the seal was gone. He glanced at Kakashi to see that his Sharingan had returned to his normal shape.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you okay?"

Kakashi panted, but responded calmly. "I'm fine, Naruto. And it worked I see. Now, get back to Sakura and make her fix you up. I don't trust the Nine-Tails healing abilities enough for this. The bones might grow together in a really unlucky way. I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about the seal on your stomach."

Naruto merely nodded. Gaara glanced once at Sasuke, then at Kakashi as he lifted Naruto to stand. "Kakashi-san, I will take Naruto back. But I'm curious. What does this seal do?"

Kakashi glanced at Gaara as he handed Naruto over to the Kazekage. "Simply put, it conserves my chakra. Meaning, removing the Curse Mark won't be as hard on my chakra reserves as it would without. Plus, I would need a lot more blood if I was to write all of those symbols by myself. You can stay and watch if you wish. Sasuke, come up here and sit down."

Gaara stepped away, supporting Naruto, while Sasuke sat down in the middle, pulling down his shirt. Kakashi pulled out a kunai and cut his hand. He put it down into the water, and to their amazement, the blood turned the water red after twenty seconds. Kakashi pulled his hand out of the water and started making seals with his insane speed. 200 seals later, and he was done. He almost shouted.

"Sealing jutsu: White Wolf, Demonic Destroyer!"

Kakashi put his right index and middle finger on Sasuke's Curse Mark. The moment they made contact, the water began boiling, and all of the symbols moved towards Sasuke and made a ring around the Curse Mark. Sasuke screamed in agony. This was much worse than last time his Curse Mark was sealed. But it wasn't over yet. The circle started burning white, eliciting another scream from Sasuke. Then, the entire area within the circle burned with a white glow, and smoke started to rise. The smoke became blacker and blacker and formed a snake. Once the black smoke was away, black and purple chakra started leaking from the area again. It swirled violently, once again forming a snake. Once the snake had reached a length of ten metres, a mass of white smoke and chakra erupted from the same spot, and formed a wolf. The wolf started eating the snake. Once the wolf closed it mouth for the last time, there was a huge shockwave and cloud of smoke, and then silence.

When the smoke cleared, the panting figures of Kakashi and Sasuke became visible. Naruto's eyes went wide. The Curse Mark was gone.

But Kakashi had other plans than looking at his handiwork. He quickly pulled Sasuke to his feet and supported the younger Sharingan user while they walked back to the camp. Kakashi sighed.

"Sorry Sasuke, but I forgot to mention one thing. That jutsu eats away a lot of chakra. Both from the user and the one it's used on. I'm almost out of chakra now. My own, in any case. It took a lot more than expected. Also, it has a bad side effect on the one it's used on. It not only drains you chakra, but it also takes away battle power acquired through the Curse Mark. In other words, your strongest jutsu is… well, gone. Thought I better tell you afterwards, since I'm not sure you would…"

"No, it's fine, Kakashi. I feel a lot better now. In fact, I feel better than I ever have since Orochimaru gave me that damn mark. About the loss of my most powerful jutsu… I can't say that I'm happy about it, but the prize for it was way too big. I once said that I didn't want to see all of mine friends die in front of me again. But I almost killed them, and thus I would have made the last thing I wanted come true. If the Hokage wants to kill me for treachery, so be it. I won't blame her if she does."

Kakashi nodded his acknowledgement. But in his mind, Kakashi was worried. Tsunade didn't want Sasuke dead, but the elders did. He cursed in his head. Danzou, Homura and Koharu… one a warmonger with his own military faction, the two others senile old fools who should have retired a long time ago. Kakashi was still surprised that the Third Hokage and Minato-sensei hadn't throttled them yet. He gazed into the sky. From the looks of it, and considering the battle ended about noon, he would say that it was 1 a.m.

(I can't remember if this is correct, but a.m. is after midnight till noon, correct? Anyway, it's supposed to be in the night.)

Kakashi cursed under his breath. They had been able to get two hours more rest since Akatsuki had settled for rest when he and the others returned. In that time he had written down all the locations of Orochimaru's hideouts and other things, and sent it with Runner to Tsunade. But their rest had been short, since the leader of Akatsuki was losing his patience. Sakura had healed Naruto's leg but he still limped slightly, and thus Kakashi had made an agreement with Gaara and Shikamaru. They hadn't liked it, but they agreed nonetheless. And just for good measure, Kakashi had set up a little trick. They were now running as fast as they could on the ground and they soon made it to the bridge. Gaara was in the front, followed by Neji, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and, now with clothes and gear on, Naruto. Naruto was falling behind and then stopped. He slowly turned around and faced the cliff next to the one they came from.

"HUUARRRRHHHHHghhhghghg!"

Kakashi turned around, just to be hit by a blade.

"ARRRRRHHHHGGGGGGGHHH! MY EYE!"

They all spun around and they eyes grew wide. Naruto's chest was impaled by a sword while Kakashi was holding his left eye. When their gazes followed the blade from the tip and back, their faces darkened considerable. The blade started moving backwards to its owner. When it reached its destination, only one word escaped their lips.

"Orochimaru."

Akatsuki reached their end of the bridge when they saw something that made their faces darken in anger. Their target impaled by a sword. Glancing to their left, on the other cliff that they couldn't reach, was Orochimaru on top on one of his snakes with Kabuto and… Sasuke?

Orochimaru chuckled as he pulled his blade back into his mouth, dragging Naruto with it. On the halfway, where the bridge divided, Naruto fell off, lying still on the bridge.

Once the sword was back into his mouth, he called out to the Akatsuki.

"I always got what I want. Itachi, since you and your damn little brother was so much trouble, I cloned your brother, but without that troublesome will of his! And now you won't get all of the Bijuu since I…" he turned towards Naruto. "Killed the Nine-Tails Jin….WHAT? GET HIM!"

His snake started to move towards the conjunction. It was, however, stopped.

Akatsuki barely managed to take a step towards the body that started to move when their path were stopped by a dangerous rain.

Sasuke and Sakura started to run towards the two trembling figures when it happened.

FFSSSSHHHHH. A glimmer in the air as the genjutsu disappeared.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the wounded Kakashi turn into Naruto, pressing a hand at his left eye, and the Naruto on the middle of the bridge, turn into Kakashi. They all saw the snake and Akatsuki starting to move, but two voices were heard.

"Acid Slime!"

"Toad Oil Fire Bullet!"

A gigantic steam of oil that soon was ignited by fire flew towards the snake, instantly stopping its advance as the burning oil hit right in front of it. Akatsuki path was stopped when a large amount of slime was flying towards them, forcing them back as the slime, or acid, hit down among them. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Neji, Gaara and Shikamaru all looked towards the opposite end of Akatsuki and got a smaller shock. Chouji was standing there, being supported by Ino. But they weren't the only ones. Lee was there too, being upheld by Gai. Beside them stood Asuma, Kurenai, Kiba, Shino and Tenten. Behind them was two gigantic figures, one a toad and one a slug. On top of them stood their respective Sannin.

Sakura ran to Naruto's side, closely followed by Sasuke. She started making preparations for her medical jutsu, but Naruto shook his head.

Sakura was, to say the least, bewildered.

"Naruto… why? Naruto, what are you doing? Sit down so I can heal that…"

"Sakura-chan. We need to get to Kakashi-sensei. He needs us!"

They all turned around and saw Kakashi tremble. Just as they stood and prepared to run to his side, they found their bodies frozen. They all looked around and saw Shikamaru kneeling down, forming a familiar seal. Gaara was providing the light by igniting his sand slowly, since a dark cloud hang over their head. They quickly figured out that it was 8 a.m. But that was irrelevant for them. They needed to get to Kakashi. Naruto was the first to shout his protests.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing? Release us from your shadow, we need to get to Kakashi-sensei! He needs help! Let us go!"

"I'm sorry Naruto! But I can't!"

Sakura was getting angry now. "WHAT THE HELL? OF COURSE YOU CAN! RELEASE THE JUTSU ALREADY!"

Shikamaru suppressed his tears. They were going to hate him for this. "I'M SORRY! BUT I'VE MY ORDERS!"

Sakura and Naruto looked at each other dumbfounded, before starting shouting epithets that I would rather not repeat here. Sasuke merely sighed. Then he called out.

"I don't care what kind of orders Kakashi gave you. But if you don't release the jutsu right now, I will Chidori your lazy ass every morning in an unearthly hour from now and till one of us die. And when the other dies, I will continue doing it."

Shikamaru didn't stand down, but as if the gods had set their will against him, a violent gust of wind came and removed the burning sand. With that the light disappeared and thus the shadow jutsu was broken. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto didn't need to be told that. Before anyone could say anything, they were by Kakashi's side. He coughed up a small amount of blood that soaked his mask, and spoke as Sakura started healing him.

"What are you three doing here? Shikamaru and Gaara…"

"Don't speak Kakashi-sensei. I'm healing you now."

Kakashi chuckled slightly, but regretted the action as he coughed again. "Don't bother… 'Hark'… I'm a goner… I don't have much time left. Even I… 'Hark'… can tell."

Naruto began shaking as he allowed a few tears to flow. "Don't say that Kakashi-sensei. You will survive, and we will be Team 7 once again. Granny Tsunade will…"

Kakashi simply cut him off. "Lady Tsunade is miles away… hark… and Sakura's skills as a medical ninja can't heal this. My heart, lungs and spine has been damaged. But before I die, I have some favours to ask."

Sakura and Naruto looked like they were about to protest, but Sasuke shushed them. "Be quiet you two. Just listen."

Kakashi nodded weakly in acknowledgement of Sasuke's words. "Sakura: You were always the best at chakra control. I'm sorry for not training you more back then, but at that time, it didn't seem that important. Then you became Lady Tsunade's apprentice, and I lost contact. And look at you now… medical-ninja with insane strength. I can't express enough here how proud I'm. In my vest pocket, the one in the middle on the left side, you find a box with ring…"

Sakura quickly pulled out the little box and looked at the ring. Her eyes widened. "Kakashi-sensei… this is…"

Kakashi chuckled slightly. "Don't get the wrong impression. It's not for you. In the bottom of it… hark… is a little note. It will say what who the ring it for… hark… don't read it here… bring it back. Promise me."

Sakura merely nodded and allowed a tear to run down her cheek as she closed the box and put it into her pocket. "I promise Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded slowly. He could feel that he would most likely be gone within ten minutes. "Sasuke… I have often lectured you about teamwork. I just wish I had hammered it into your head instead. It could have saved us all for a lot of trouble. But if my lectures ever made it through that stubborn skull of yours, then you know what to do. Protect your team-mates, no matter what. And I'm sorry not being there for you when you were younger. And lastly, Naruto."

Naruto looked up, tears in his eye. "Yes Kakashi-sensei?"

"I'm sorry. I should have paid more attention to you earlier. Remember how you yelled at me for favouring Sasuke during the Chuunin Exam. Well, I thought Sasuke needed more training in order to defend himself from Orochimaru. I didn't know that Akatsuki were right on our doorstep back then. Please accept my apology and a gift to atone for my mistake. Sakura, I need your skill."

Sakura moved closer. "What do you need Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled weakly. "I need you to do, what my team-mate, Rin, once did. I need you to transplant my Sharingan. Transplant… hark hark… it into Naruto's left eye. The damage he suffered is much alike the one I did. It can't be healed. My Sharingan is the gift. You will hopefully be able to use it better than me, since you have a lot more chakra than I do. Thus it won't affect you the same way that it did me. And make Sasuke help you master it if necessary."

Sakura and Naruto was shocked. None of them had expected that. But when Sakura looked at Naruto, she saw that Kakashi was right. The wound was the same length, had the same form and was placed exactly like Kakashi's scar. She slowly nodded. Naruto looked rather dumbfounded but slowly Kakashi's words made their way through to his brain, and was about to protest when Sasuke spoke.

"Shut up Naruto. Or are you going to deny our sensei his final wish? And I promise Kakashi, I will help Naruto master the Sharingan."

Naruto looked flabbergasted. Then he shook his head. His voice was weak, but audible none the less. "Do it Sakura-chan. For Kakashi-sensei."

She nodded again and went to work. Three minutes later, and she was done. Kakashi, now blinded, knew that he only had, at the most, three minutes left. Now blinded, he asked them for one more favour

"Help me stand."

The three looked at each other, before nodding. They helped him stand, their backs to the Leaf, and Kakashi's to the Akatsuki. Kakashi's voice was weak.

"When you get back to the village… hark hark… ask Lady Tsunade for this document: T7KHST. Always look out for each other. One of you need to shout the following message: Itachi Uchiha, ANBU Death Dealers, code 101."

They all felt the killing intent rolling of Sasuke at Itachi's name, but he slowly relaxed. Sakura took a deep breath and yelled towards the Akatsuki.

"ITACHI UCHIHA, CODE 101!"

Kakashi nodded his satisfaction. He chuckled slightly, as he lowered his mask, not wanting to be choked in his own blood. They all stared at his face. Except for the scar and now empty eye sockets, his face was flawless. No blemishes at all. His jaw line and face was smooth. It looked like he had traits from his father and mother mixed randomly, which only added to his charm. Kakashi smiled and they noticed for the fraction of second that his eye teeth in the upper part of his mouth was a bit pointy. Then it happened. He gathered all of the Nine-Tails chakra he had left for a Rasengan. He let out a small whisper.

"Farewell. Live well."

Before any of them could protest, he made the Rasengan explode. The shockwave caused Naruto, now clutching Kakashi's headband, Sasuke and Sakura to fly through the air, towards the Leaf Ninja. Gamabunta caught them easily with his tongue and let them down. They all struggled to brake free from the adult's grip, but stopped abruptly as Itachi approached Kakashi. They all tensed and no one noticed Naruto's new eye.

"Itachi Uchiha, Code 101!"

Sagato glanced at Itachi. "What does that mean, Itachi?"

Itachi let out sigh. "A special rule, only used in wartime. A fallen enemy has the right to speak with one of his enemies. Why and what he wants to speak with me about, is beyond me."

Sagato nodded. Then he smiled cruelly. "I know that rule. You better go then. And Itachi: get our ring back."

Itachi merely gave a curt nod before he walked towards Kakashi. He kept an eye on the toad, slug and snake, but all of the Sannin seemed to uphold the rule. He soon reached Kakashi and got a minor shock when he saw the empty eye sockets staring at him. One quick glance towards the Leaf ninja and he saw Naruto staring at him with two different eyes: His usually blue and one blood red with three tomoes. He smiled slightly. Things would get interesting from now on. He looked at Kakashi as he staggered. He caught him by the elbow. He spoke in a low voice.

"I see now. You took Naruto's place. What was you thinking? My Sharingan would have seen through it. But no matter. What did you wish to tell me, Kakashi?"

Kakashi chuckled slightly, just to cough up more blood. Time was running out. He felt his voice weaken by each second passing by.

"I don't have much time left, Itachi. So there will be no beating around the bush. The missing Uchihas are in the Hidden Cloud Village. Also, I know that the Leader wants you to retrieve the ring. Here, take it. And also… take this."

Itachi moved slightly to block the Akatsuki's members view as he forcefully pulled off the Akatsuki ring and took the paper Kakashi handed him from one of his pockets. Itachi pocketed it away in his cloak along with the ring. Just as he did it, Kakashi fell to his knees, dragging Itachi with him. His hands were searching for something on the bridge. Itachi soon caught sight of it as a lightning bolt illuminated the sky. Two thin wires. Making it look to all as he was struggling to keep Kakashi's hands away from the wire, he actually guided his hands to them. Once Kakashi's hand locked around the wires, he quickly twisted it around his hand a couple of times. Then he looked without seeing at Itachi and whispered.

"Protect Naruto and Sasuke. Goodbye for now. It has been a pleasure knowing you. Run."

Itachi merely gave a curt nod before standing up. Then he took off towards the Akatsuki. Kakashi gave him three seconds head start. Then he gave each wire a hard yank. He mumbled silently as faces began to appear in his mind.

"Obito… Rin… Minato-sensei… mother… father… it looks my time has finally come. Obito… Minato-sensei... I failed you. I couldn't protect Rin or Naruto. Rin… I'm so sorry. I should have been the one who died back then. Father… rest in peace. I forgive you. I wish I could join you all, but I can't go where you are. I'm going to Hell while you will be in Heaven. Goodbye… my friends… my family."

BOUOM! BOUOM!FUUUOOOM! FUUOOM!BOFUFOFUOM!BOOUUFFOOUUMMMMM!

Itachi looked over his shoulders as he saw the entire bridge blow up in steps; the explosions ran in all three directions. The entire bridge must have been covered with explosive tags. Itachi smiled slightly as he ran faster as the explosions gained on him. Kakashi had been foreseeing as usual, taking every scenario into account. The collapsed passage, his trap system: Both meant as delays. And finally the bridge. By blowing it up, he efficiently stopped their pursuit. Itachi looked over his shoulders and saw Kakashi falling, almost as in slow-motion, down into the ravine's darkness and out of sight. Itachi jumped and made it to the other Akatsuki members just the explosions destroyed the rest of their end of the bridge. And from what Itachi could see, they explosions made contact with the Leaf ninjas' end and Orochimaru's at the same time it made contact with theirs. He merely took out the ring and handed it to Sagato. Then he watched the Leaf ninja across the gap

They all saw Kakashi fall.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI! NOOOOOO!"

Naruto tried to run, but he felt two strong hands on his shoulders. He looked around and saw Jiraiya, now standing behind him, holding him firmly in place.

"PERVY-SAGE! LET GO! KAKASHI-SENSEI…"

"It's too late, Naruto! He is… he is gone. Kakashi is dead."

Jiraiya's voice was strong, but Naruto heard the sorrow in it. As if Jiraiya couldn't believe it himself. But there was no mistaking it. Kakashi was dead. Jiraiya's eyes went wide when he saw the Sharingan in Naruto's left eye. Whether or not Naruto noticed the widening of his eyes, he didn't know. Naruto looked frantically to his right, and saw Sakura struggling in Tsunade's grasp, tears flowing freely from Sakura's eyes. He glanced hopefully at Neji, hoping that he would say that he could still see Kakashi's chakra. But when Neji shook his head sadly, he broke. Tears started running unchecked from both eyes and he buried his head in Jiraiya's chest, clutching Kakashi's headband in his left hand.

Jiraiya hugged Naruto, trying to comfort him. And out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tsunade do the same thing with Sakura. Both hold back their own tears. Many years with death as their eternal companion had taught them the pain of loss. And now, their apprentices were learning it too, and they both knew that words and actions wouldn't be enough to soothe the pain in the young ones' hearts. Another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, and then it came. The rain. A downright downpour. Naruto and Sakura turned around again, tears mixing with the rain.

"Everyone, please… pr….

"Everyone, … Kakashi-sensei."

Jiraiya opened his mouth to say what the two teenagers wanted to say before their voices broke, but Sasuke beat him to it.

"Everyone, pray for Kakashi-sensei."

As he said it, two tears ran down his cheeks, mingling with the water from the rain. Jiraiya was speechless. But he didn't protest. He merely nodded and lowered his head and closed his eyes, allowing a few tears to flow. They all followed his example, even Gamabunta and Katsuyu. The two summonses, Gaara, and those who didn't knew Kakashi that well, meaning the rest of the Leaf 11, were the only ones who didn't cry on their side.

Although Itachi couldn't hear what they were saying on the other side of the gap, their lowered heads were all he needed to know what was happening. And while the others cursed and shouted at each other, he simply closed his eyes and prayed, allowing a single tear to mix with the rain, unseen by all, as he mourned Kakashi's death.

End chapter 15.


	19. Chapter 19: Chapter 16 part 1

Thanks to all of those who have read this story so far and have added it to their story alert and favourite story. And special thanks to those who have taken their times to give reviews.

Chapter 16: Aftermath and Returning

Itachi didn't know for how long they stood in the rain. All he concentrated on was the new piece of information Kakashi had delivered. And the note in his cloak. The rain ceased. He slowly opened his eyes, Sharingan staring into Rinnegan. Sagato's fury was barely contained, making his voice even more menacing.

"Since the bridge is gone and Deidara almost out of chakra, I suppose we have to take the long way round. Itachi, you will lead the way. Where will we end up? And when?"

Itachi thought for a moment. "Hard to tell. We end up in the north-east part of the Earth Country. Depending of the traps nature, weather, and our speed, I guess we will reach the foot of the mountain within three days."

Sagato nodded. "Very well. Once we get there, Deidara will take over since he knows the country better than us. Zetsu, I need you to do some scouting in the countries of Grass, Earth and Rain. I need to know if Rain is still safe as headquarter since the demise of Pain and Konan. But first go get Shredkill's ring. Murdgaki and Blackrose, you two will support Devalan and Deidara as we walk."

Murdgaki scowled at the leader of their group, earning him an intense wave of pain through the ring on his hand. The leader glared at him.

"One word or wrong look from you and I will kill you. Now, let's go."

The Akatsuki took off, Itachi in the lead, followed by Kisame, Deidara and Blackrose, Murdgaki and Devalan and Sagato in the rear. Zetsu just sunk into the ground.

And as they disappeared into the forest, going as fast as they could, Sagato wondered how willing the people he intended on recruiting would be to join their ranks. Akatsuki needed to be reformed, both in members in other ways.

000000

Orochimaru was fuming with anger. Almost everything had been a failure. Naruto escaped him, thus negotiation, or rather blackmailing, the Akatsuki was impossible. Furthermore, Sasuke was no longer in his hand, and his Curse Seal had been removed. He had felt it during the night. And now, he had failed, yet again, in killing Naruto. He chuckled as he watched the mourning Leaf ninja who slowly turned their heads in his direction. Even he could feel their killing intent. He chuckled again, which ended abruptly in a coughing fit. Once the coughs subsided, he dismissed the snake so that they stood on the ground. He chuckled slightly again.

"Well, this didn't go as well as I planned. But at least I killed the Copy-ninja. But the loss of Sasuke-kun and the Nine-Tails is insufferable. But well. I'm sure you felt it as well: the clone is getting stronger without training. It will soon reach the same level as Sasuke-kun before he left. But I will need your new elixir to slow down this body's rejection of me. Let's go, Kabuto."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

With that Orochimaru, Kabuto and the clone of Sasuke sped off.

0000000

As the rain ceased, the Leaf ninja took a long at each other. All of them had been surprised of the massive killing intent they released when Orochimaru and the others retreated. Jiraiya shortly thought back to the first time he met Kakashi, but he was soon brought out of his reveries by Naruto's small sobs. Giving him one last hug, he slowly turned Naruto around and spoke in a low voice.

"Let's go, Naruto. If the eye gives you any trouble, tell it to Tsunade." Clearing his throat slightly, he called out. "Bunta, you're dismissed. We're going home."

The summoning nodded and 'poofed' away, and his slug companion soon followed suit. Naruto closed his left eye. He didn't want too much attention right now and he was definitely not in the mood to answer questions. All of the ninja turned around and started their long road home. While they ran, they exchanged what they had experienced. Except about Hinata and Iruka. When they asked about the conditions of Lee and Chouji, Tsunade fell silent before she said that they would recover 100 percent if they just took it slowly and gave it time. Gai and Lee was about to start one of their speeches about youth, but one glare from Neji and Sasuke made them quiet. None of them was in the mood for 'blinding smile and sunset jutsu'. And no one had asked Naruto why he kept his eye shut. Except from Jiraiya, Sasuke and Sakura and of course Naruto himself, and probably Tsunade because of Jiraiya, knew anything about Kakashi's parting gift. That was, however, about to change.

It was two days later, late evening.

"ARRRGGG!"

Naruto fell to the ground. Tsunade, Sakura and Ino were by his side immediately. All of them turned around, looking concerned at him. They all tensed when they saw blood running slowly from his eye.

"Naruto, what is the matter? Here, let me help!"

Sakura's worried voice made Naruto open his eye and remove his hand. He heard several gasps when they saw the Sharingan in his left eye. Gai was the first to recover from the shock.

"Naruto-kun…that eye… is that?"

Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Yes Gai. That Sharingan is the Sharingan that made Kakashi known through the entire sninobi world and put him in almost every bingo book there is. Tsunade, would you take a look at it?"

Tsunade was already in action. Gently pushing the young medics out of the way, she kneeled down in front of Naruto.

"Let me take a look at that, kid." Complying, Naruto sat straight up. Tsunade let her chakra flow through him, from head to down. She sighed. "Several of the veins in the eye socket have ruptured. It's hard to discover for a young medic like Sakura whom never has been in a real war and seen this plenty of times. Here, let me fix that. Also, would you please take of your jacket and shirt? We need to something about that seal Orochimaru put on you. But the eye comes first."

Gently letting her chakra run from her index finger, she sat to work. It took several minutes for her to heal the veins, even with her delicate chakra control and experience. But when she was done and Naruto took off his jacket and shirt, he gave her a cheeky grin.

"Thanks a lot Granny Tsunade. I feel a lot better now. But geez, couldn't you wait to we got home to see my body?"

This earned him several laughs from the others. Even Tsunade smiled a little before she gave him a friendly smack over the head. "Sorry brat, but you aren't quite my type. Besides, I'm your senior by forty years. Some people might get the wrong impression. Now, stand up so Jiraiya and I can get a closer look at that seal our ex-teammate gave you."

Grumbling, Naruto stood up. The two Sannin narrowed their eyes slightly when they saw the seal on Naruto's stomach. Tsunade was the first to speak. "So Jiraiya? Is it the same seal as last time?"

"Yeah, I think so. Will you or shall I?"

A smile crept over Tsunade's face. A face that unnerved Naruto slightly. "Heh old friend. I will do it. It has been quite some time since I have had the opportunity to put the seal-teaching from Sarutobi-sensei into use. Five Element Unsealer!"

It happened in a flash. Tsunade quickly gathered the necessary chakra in her fingertips on her right hand and thrust forward, right into Naruto's abdomen. Naruto felt almost of the air leave him before coughing something that sounded like 'a warning would have been nice, crazy old woman.'. That earned him another smack from Tsunade. However, he only laughed at it. Then he fell silent.

"I'm finally understanding why Kakashi-sensei kept his Sharingan covered the way he did. It is already taken its toll on my chakra."

Tsunade and Jiraiya glanced at each other. They both knew that something was wrong. After all, Naruto's chakra stores were much higher than Kakashi's had been. They would need to check up on that later. Besides, they were soon back in the Village. A small smile appeared on Jiraiya's face. Gently, as Naruto put back his clothes, he snatched the forehead protector, earning him an indignant and puzzled look from Naruto. Jiraiya chuckled as he shook his head. Then, ever so slowly, he put the headband around Naruto's head. But not like it was before. Now it was placed exactly like Kakashi's had been. Naruto mumbled a low thanks, barely audible. Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded in understanding. They both knew how much Naruto suffered inside. It would take time for him to recover if he ever did. They hoped they could tell him about Hinata and Iruka when they reached the village in two days time.. That, however, wouldn't be the case. They ran for almost an hour, before setting up camp. Neji and Gaara took the first watch. Neji, after convincing Tenten and the Hokage that he was alright. And threatening Lee into silence. (You can guess why)

00000

Itachi stared at the note in his hand. He couldn't believe what he was reading. In the two hours they had been in this inn, he must have read it ten times by now. The inn was in the north-east part of the Earth country, and according to Deidara, ninjas rarely came by. And no one here seemed to know about Akatsuki. He was sitting in his room, alone, reading the note again.

_Itachi, when, or rather if, you read this I'm most likely dead. I know you have always wondered why I helped you in wiping out the Uchiha clan. It was one of the oldest motives in the world: Revenge. The one who killed Rin had the Sharingan, so I assumed the attacker was send by the Uchiha clan. You know how much the 'stolen Sharingan' angered them. I suppose they saw their chance for killing me when they learned about the mission. _

_But that is only one part of it. The other part was how they treated Obito's memory as soon as the Third closed the matter of my Sharingan. I was enraged. The only ones who officially accepted my apology and ever let me be in peace from your clan, except for you, was Obito's parents, your aunt Uruchi and your uncle Teyaki. They always treated Rin, Minato-sensei and me friendly afterwards._

_I remember that is why you wanted to spare them. And rest assured, it wasn't me who killed them. That was Madara's doing. Yes, I already knew that he was alive back then. The reason I didn't report this to the Third was that I believed that you would kill as soon as you got a chance. I knew that you were more powerful than me, so I didn't see it as a problem. _

_Live well and protect what is most precious to you._

_Kakashi Hatake, Captain of the 7__th__ ANBU squad._

Itachi suppressed the tears that were threatening to flow. So this was the reasons why his captain had helped him out that night. But what saddened him was that he was sitting with a proof that Kakashi Hatake once walked the Earth. One who tried to give him the childhood he desired more than anything. The one whom Itachi could seek comfort and advice whenever he needed it. And now, that person was gone. Itachi would never be able to see his trademark eye-smile, hear his excuses for being late or call him a lazy liar. All what Itachi had left of Kakashi now, were the memories and this note. And of course the sword Kakashi made for him when Itachi became ANBU captain himself. A sword made of a special metal that reacted to his chakra nature. A sword that was now sealed away on his right shoulder. Itachi sighed. He remembered the only time he had tried to look underneath Kakashi mask. He would have succeed if Itachi had been smart enough to activate his Sharingan. Kakashi had been sleeping, but just as Itachi was about remove the sacred mask, Kakashi's eyes had snapped open and put Itachi asleep. When Itachi woke up, he was dangling upside down from the Fourth Hokage's nostrils. And to make the humiliation complete, he was only wearing his underpants. And Kakashi, being the genius as he was, had put him in a way so that he couldn't get down on his own. Chuckling at the memory, Itachi put away the note. Just in time too.

The door opened and Kisame's head came into view, a small smirk on his face. "Itachi-san, the leader has requested our presence in the common room. All the other guests are already sleeping, so we can talk in peace."

Itachi merely nodded. When they entered the common room, they saw that only Akatsuki members were present. They were sitting around a circular wooden table in comfy looking armchairs. The room was dimly lit, although there was fire in the fireplace. Two rings lay on the middle of the table.

"Itachi… Kisame… Take a seat."

Both did as they were told. Sagato sighed before speaking. "Before we continue, Blackrose, please put on the ring to the left."

Blackrose didn't hesitate for a moment when she put on the ring that had adorned Kakashi's finger on her left thumb. She didn't even flinch when the ring burned itself onto her skin. Sagato smiled.

"Congratulations. You are now a full-fledged member of Akatsuki."

Blackrose smiled one of her more sincere smiles. "I'm honoured my Lord."

Sagato merely nodded before putting the other ring into his cloak, earning him puzzled looks from the others. Zetsu was the one who spoke the question they all were holding.

"Who is our new member?"

Sagato chuckled darkly. "I'm not sure yet. But I have a few people in mind. I don't know how willing they will be to join, but they will be hard to find. But that's not we are here for. We have things to discuss. Such as how the Akatsuki are going to work."

Kisame looked puzzled, but then a smirk spread across his face. A smirk that Itachi didn't like. He liked it even less when Kisame spoke and got his answer.

"You mean… reforming groups and such? What will the groups be?"

Sagato chuckled slightly. "I don't know about the groups yet. But I was talking about reforming how Akatsuki works."

Itachi had a bad feeling of where this was going. And he was confirmed by Deidara's question and the answer he got. "So… what are we going to do? Make a lot of trouble, hmm?"

Sagato chuckled again. "More or less. It appears that Pain's way of doing things were a bit too soft. This latest incident proved that. But we won't cause more trouble for now. We need to recuperate a little and we need to gather more information on the hosts. Also, since the genjutsu we cast on Danzou from the Hidden Leaf, in order to get information about Orochimaru, is no longer in effect, we need to take him into consideration. Although we did it in order to secure his position if Orochimaru's plan should fail, we cannot be sure that he will help us in the future. But as I said, we will keep our activities down for now. Probably for the next couple of years. Next topic is Orochimaru."

At this they all tensed. Deidara was the first one to speak. "I was originally assigned to be the one to finish him, hm. I will do it."

Itachi shook his head. "That was before. Things have changed. Somehow, Orochimaru has managed to make a clone of my brother. Not a shadow clone, but a clone of real flesh. Thus probably gaining the Sharingan. That clone may hold the secret to the Sharingan and all of my brother's jutsu. And seeing how Deidara already has been defeated by the Sharingan once, I don't think he is capable of dealing with Orochimaru."

Sagato locked eyes with Itachi. "You are right on that one, Itachi. Then… what do you suggest?"

Ignoring Deidara's indignant glares and muttering, Itachi answered in his calm voice. "Murdgaki and Blackrose would be slaughtered. Devalan would give himself away the moment he found him. Zetsu is too slow for him. I admit he took me by surprise in our match, but Orochimaru won't be foolish enough. That leaves Kisame and me. If Orochimaru gains the Sharingan, we will need a Sharingan to fight him. I will go, while Kisame will be my backup."

Sagato nodded. "What you say is right. However, you are forgetting one thing: ME. I too, as you perhaps remember, am capable of using the Sharingan. That's why I will be the one to hunt Orochimaru down. After all, he managed to get away from you last time the two of you crossed paths, didn't he?"

Defeated, Itachi sighed. "As you wish, my Lord. So… what's the plan from here on?"

Sagato chuckled. "Blackrose and Murdgaki will pair up in order to track down the candidates. Zetsu: Your job will be to check up on the villages' moves. Especially the Leaf. Itachi will pair up stay in group with Kisame, while Deidara and Devalan will make up the last group until we convince one or more of the candidates to join our cause. You are only to fight those two-on-one. If you fail, get into contact with Zetsu and make him bring reinforcements so that you will fight them four-on-one. Reason: They might be more for you to handle on your own. Otherwise we will keep it low."

At this moment, an old man in pyjamas entered. He was bald and had a grey moustache. Looking at the people with sleep eyes, he asked. "Would you gentlemen and lady like to order something?"

All of the Akatsuki turned in their chairs. Sagato smiled politely. "Yes please. I would like one of your finest whiskeys. All of you, please, order. It's my treat."

Bad move. This was an order they didn't need to be told twice. Kisame ordered a whiskey, Devalan a gin and tonic, Deidara an expensive local red wine, Zetsu two white wines, while Itachi settled with a cold beer and Murdgaki and Blackrose ordered saké. Once the innkeeper returned with their orders, he left for bed again. Sagato raised his glass and spoke in a cheerful voice.

"Cheers. And good luck. To all of you. You will need it."

They left in the morning, leaving money behind, their missions in their minds. And Itachi's case, fear. Not for himself, but for his brother and Naruto.

000000

It was night. The stars were twinkling peacefully in the cloudless sky. They would reach the Leaf by noon the next day. They had set up camp and eaten their last rations since no one had seen some place to fish or gather berries. All of them were worried for Naruto. Perhaps he hadn't noticed it yet, but his speed was decreasing and he had been close to lose foothold several times. Neji had taken a short look at Naruto with his Byakugan. His news hadn't been good. Naruto's chakra network was malfunctioning. When asked about it, he wasn't sure. He told them that the closest he could describe it as was that his chakra network was being overloaded and thus destroyed. Slowly, but certain. And no matter what Sakura, Ino or Tsunade did, it was all futile. It helped for some time, but it never lasted more than a few hours. Tsunade had already talked over what they were to do if the Nine-Tails broke loose. Needless to say, they were standing a bit away from the others.

Jiraiya frowned. "To think that Minato's jutsu could fail."

Tsunade sighed. "I know what you mean. Jiraiya, I know you don't want to hear this, but if the seal should fail… Jiraiya, in the worst case scenario we will have to kill Naruto. It breaks my heart to say it, but as Hokage, I must put the Village's safety first."

Jiraiya looked like he was about to punch her, but resisted the urge. Instead he sighed. "I know Tsunade. It's just… First Sakumo, then Orochimaru turning bad and leaving the village. And shortly after that Minato died. Then the old man Sarutobi-sensei and now Kakashi. I don't know Tsunade, but it seems that I keep failing. I promised Sakumo and Minato to keep Kakashi safe. And I promised myself that I wouldn't let the old man die. And just the idea of killing Naruto… it…is too much. It's just too wrong."

Tsunade placed a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder and spoke in, what she hoped anyway, was a comforting yet stern voice. "I know Jiraiya, I know. If I thought we could allow him to leave the village in case we can't fix this, I would. But we have to be reasonable. If he is alone, Akatsuki will get their hands on him in no time. Also, if the seal is to crack, the Nine-Tails will most likely be released. And take its revenge on the village. We can't allow that. Isn't it better then, to put an end to Naruto's suffering and Akatsuki's plans?"

Jiraiya slowly nodded his agreement. Lowering his voice even more, he spoke again. "I do agree. Though Minato feared another one was behind the Nine-Tails' attack." At Tsunade's puzzled look, he sighed. "Minato feared that the Nine-Tails was summoned and controlled by Madara Uchiha during the attack. And if Madara still is out there, bidding his time, if the Nine-Tails breaks free, you can be sure he will use it against the Leaf once again. And we won't be able to stop them. But I still can't believe Minato's seal failed."

Tsunade barely managed to get over her shock from Jiraiya's information, before she got a new one. They hadn't noticed a mist was forming. So when a cold and too familiar voice spoke, she almost had a cardiac arrest. A voice that also got the rest of the ninjas' attention.

"The seal didn't fail. Although the Fourth Hokage used another sealing too, the Reaper Seal won't brake that easily although the other sealing will weaken it. And Madara Uchiha is dead."

All of the ninjas appeared beside and behind the two Sannin immediately. And of course the first to speak was Naruto.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF!"

Tsunade quickly regained her composure. But her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Dracula."

Naruto paled slightly at the mention of the name. Sasuke, Gaara, Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji looked confused. Well, Gaara held more of a surprised look. But the others' expressions were pure fear.

A low chuckle was heard before Dracula stepped out of the mist and gave short nod of acknowledgment.

"Greetings Honourable Lady Hokage."

Sakura frowned slightly. Normally, one who was of low rank would bow deep to one of higher rank. But this guy barely moved his head. "Why aren't you bowing deeper? She outranks you."

"Because they are of the same rank. Although it would be more correct to say that he outranks her. He is a legend beyond the Sannin."

Everyone turned to Gaara who had spoken up. Even Dracula. He tilted his head in curiosity.

"If I may ask, who are you boy? You aren't wearing a headband anywhere, but I can tell that you aren't from the Leaf."

Gaara bowed until his back and legs made an angle of 90 degrees before straightening up. His voice was a lot calmer than the others. "Lord Dracula, I'm Gaara of the Dessert, former Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail Shukaku. I currently serve as the Fifth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand."

Dracula was, to say the least, surprised. Former Jinchuuriki? A Jinchuuriki died when their Bijuu were extracted. And yet he was talking to a former one. Then again, several powerful ninjas were known for being able to bring back the dead. And now he was Kazekage? Dracula smiled.

"It's an honour to meet you, Honourable Lord Kazekage. I must say I'm impressed. By your age and current rank, but also of your knowledge. You seem to know who I'm, I'm very impressed by that. Tell me: How do you know that?"

Relieved that Dracula seemed to have taken a liking to him, Gaara answered.

"I'm the son of the now deceased Fourth Kazekage. As his son, I was forced to read about the old legends of the ninja world. And in some of the oldest, I read your name in several contexts."

Dracula nodded his understanding. Those contexts weren't nice. His gaze slowly drifted towards the blond Hokage. While his eyes wandered, he noticed the whisker marks on a blond boy's face. They seemed familiar to him. He locked eyes with Tsunade.

"I've upheld my part of the deal. Now… you must uphold yours"

Naruto looked between leaders. He couldn't remember where he had heard the name before. Staring intently at them, he listened in on the conversation, thus not seeing the others' apprehensive looks.

Sighing, Tsunade responded. "Before I answer you, tell me this: Why do you say that Madara Uchiha is dead? My grandfather and his brother thought that too."

Dracula frowned before smirking. "Let me put it this way: The Uchiha Bloodline Limit is a blessing and a curse. It tends to make you arrogant and thus you underestimate your opponents. As a matter of fact, I have yet to meet an Uchiha who isn't stuck-up. But you are avoiding your part of the deal. Where is Kakashi Hatake?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke clenched their fists, though of different reasons. Naruto because Dracula was speaking of Kakashi as he was some kind of bargain chip while Sasuke did it due to the insult. He activated his Sharingan and was about to attack when Shikamaru, Gai and Jiraiya stopped him.

Dracula glanced at the enraged boy with the bluish hair. He let out a small chuckle.

"Why are you restraining the boy? Let him loose and let him attack me. If he is so confident in his clan's power, then let him try me out. But before you do, boy, let me warn you: I have fought the Sharingan before and survived it. I was there when the first Sharingan emerged. I know more about it than you do; all of its secrets. So you might want to ask yourself this: Do I really want to fight this guy?"

Sasuke glared and made eye contact, hoping that he could get Dracula under a genjutsu. But in the moment he stared into Dracula's eyes, he felt his Sharingan deactivate. Staring in horror, he asked the obvious. "How?"

Dracula chuckled. "Foolish boy. I just told you. I know all of the secrets of the Sharingan. By stopping your blood circulation around your eyes, even for a moment, I also block your chakra from reaching your eyes. Blood and chakra… that is the secret of the Sharingan. Of course it has to be Uchiha blood if the Sharingan shall awaken. All transplanted eyes have a little Uchiha blood and chakra in them. Since this is the case, it is impossible for those who aren't of the Uchiha clan to deactivate the Sharingan. Unless of course they can stop the circulation of blood at will. But no mortals can do this. At least none I know of." He turned to Tsunade. "I will ask one last time: Where is Kakashi Hatake?"

Tsunade glanced at the still shocked Sasuke and Naruto who was rubbing his left without seeming to know it. Turning her gaze back, she answered in a curt tone.

"Kakashi Hatake is dead. He died fighting a group called Akatsuki. He fell near Satur."

Dracula tilted his head slightly to the right. Some of the information she gave him wasn't correct, but that didn't matter. Kakashi Hatake was dead. "I see. Well, I can't say that you have upheld your part of the deal, but you haven't broken it either. Know that the war in the village has ended. And that Hinata Hyuuga will be buried within two days. From what I gathered through some Hyuugas' mind, the clan has a way to prevent the corpse from decaying. Also, know that I put an end to a man's suffering. His name was Iruka Umino and would have suffered a long and painful death if I hadn't killed him. Now, farewell."

Naruto stared in shock. He didn't care who the Hell this guy was, but he was just too much. Talking about Kakashi as was nothing but something used for trading. And for Naruto it seemed that Kakashi's life had been traded for the safety of the village. Well, he could understand the logic in that, but that didn't make it right for this freak to talk about him like that. Also, the way too carefree way he spoke about Hinata and Iruka. Not to mention that he killed the latter! He wouldn't forgive that!

His anger was clear and his visible eye changed shape and colour. From blue to red with a vertical slit.

"YOU ASSHOLE! I WILL FREAKING KILL YOU!"

Jiraiya quickly rummaged through his pockets, searching for a special note. Only… "SHIT! The note to suppress the Nine-Tails isn't there! RUN!"

That was all the warning Dracula got before he felt a huge power building up in matter of seconds. Knowing he would need power in this fight, he quickly summoned back the energy he had used to create memory erasing jutsu around the jutsu. As he did it, he quickly found that it was good thing. For some reason, he had messed up so instead of erasing their memories of him as soon as the Hokage stepped over the doorstep, it would have laid the village in ruins. But he some more pressing matters to deal with.

"Death Element: Cage of Cerberus!"

Green flames instantly surrounded Naruto. And not a moment too late. The explosion of energy was enormous. It was so big that Dracula's jutsu was smashed. But the jutsu hadn't been for nothing. It absorbed most of the explosion, thus saving most of their surrounding and the ground beneath them. Trees had been burned and overturned. And the Leaf ninja and Gaara had fled to a safer location. Things looked fine. Well, except for the fact that Dracula was staring at a horrendous form with eight tails.

Dracula tilted his head, assessing the situation. Then he burst out laughing.

"I see. So that boy is this Naruto." Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he stared at the form in front of him as green flames started blazing around him. "Well Nine-Tails. If you want to play, then let's play!"

End chapter 16 part 1


	20. Chapter 20: Chapter 16 part 2

Chapter 16: Aftermath and Returning Part 2

"Well Nine-Tails. If you want to play, then let's play!"

That was one thing the thing in front of him didn't need to hear twice. Growling it attacked. It lashed out at him, causing a gigantic shockwave as it made contact with ground, creating a crater. When the smoke dispersed, all watching got a shock. Actually it was just Neji watching with his Byakugan, telling it to the others. Dracula was unharmed, holding Naruto in his eight tails form by the wrist.

Dracula chuckled darkly. "Impressive. Seems I have to get serious this time."

Growling, the now transformed Naruto attacked again. Dracula was hurled upwards by a blow from one tail; then the other tails dealt some very heavy blows, causing Dracula to fly up and down until he was smashed away and down by an arm of chakra. He launched for Dracula and his attack would have succeeded if Dracula hadn't countered his attack.

"Earth Summoning: Mountain Serpent!"

Instantly, a snake made of rock and earth rose. It was the same size as Manda and as it rose, it hammered Naruto upwards with its head until it couldn't straighten more. Once out in its full length, it let Naruto fall before coming down on him, whirling stones, earth and dust in every direction, causing a massive shockwave. But another shockwave soon rose as the snake was blasted into oblivion by Naruto. Standing in the crater they had created, Naruto and Dracula were staring at each other. Then, from what Sakura could gather, Naruto started emitting balls made of chakra and compressed them before swallowing. Her eyes went wide. She had seen the crater after he did that with four tails. And now he had eight tails? Things didn't look good. Dracula thought something similar. One hit of that and even he would be in trouble. Also, he had a feeling telling him that all of that condensed chakra would create a lot of destruction. But he couldn't let the next attack hit somewhere random. He sighed and flew into the sky, hoping that he still had the brat's attention. Moving with blinding speed, he spun around in midair and shot a condensed ball of green flames from his right hand at the chakra attack the transformed boy had fired at him. The two attacks met on the halfway.

BOOOOUUUUUUUGFUFUOOOUOUUUUUOOOOOOMMMMOMMMOOUUMMMMM!

The clash of the two attacks made an enormous explosion. Then entire sky above their heads turned green, white and red in matter of seconds. Neji quickly assessed the damages it had done and gasped. If their attacks had clashed on ground level it would have been catastrophic. Trees and the ground had been burned to crisp in an area equivalent to the Leaf's. Actually, the entire Leaf Village would have disappeared completely and left a 30 metres deep crater. But since the attack had been so high in the sky, the crater was only three feet deep and much smaller in area. When he told this to everyone, they gasped. Well, except from Gaara who frowned. However, his voice was calm as ever.

"This is not a battle between ninja. It is a battle between demons." The other just, more or less, nodded their agreement before Neji began relaying what he saw again.

Dracula stared at the creature in front of him once he landed again. That last attack had been close to being uncomfortable. He frowned slightly. He wasn't afraid of dieing, but he needed to end this battle quickly if he the landscape wasn't going to change. Ignoring the growling and roaring creature he summoned a considerable amount of his Death chakra while he formed almost one hundred seals. This time he needed forming seals in order to get build up the right amount of Death chakra. Plus, it seemed to distract his opponent slightly, as the Jinchuuriki didn't attack. The seal forming ended in the snake.

"Death Element: Banishment to Tartarus!"

Two silver rings appeared around Naruto. They started spinning around him with frantic speed, until he was completely hidden behind a silver blur, silencing his roaring. Dracula merely snarled as the ball of silver started moving downwards.

"I will bury you so deep that no mortal ever will lay sight on you again, Nine-Tails. I should have done this centuries ago."

Soon Naruto was out of sight, but just as was about finished, an earthquake shook the ground beneath him. Dracula's eyes went wide.

"Impressive. He broke the rings of Banishment. I see. The Nine-Tails has grown stronger since the last time we met. Although… that attack was weaker than it should have been."

As the last words left his lips, Naruto reappeared from the hole he had just been dragged into, roaring with anger. As he roared, a ninth tail was forming. And fast. Dracula had had it with this guy. Time to put that fox back into its place.

He locked eyes with the thing in front of him.

-Naruto's mindscape-

Naruto looked around. He was in front of the cage that kept back the Nine-Tails. Except a few things were amiss. For starters, the seal on the cage seemed to be rotten. And the seal on his stomach were gone. He remembered it being removed after he gave his heart to the Nine-Tails, after it suggested destroying everything that hurt him. After that, everything went black. Also the pipes that ran every were pouring red chakra everywhere. Then a voice sounded.

"**So… now you are ready to give in, are you Naruto? Tell me… who do you want to kill? It isn't the Uchiha scum this time, is it? Even he didn't provoke your hatred and anger this much." **

Naruto stared into the visage of the Nine-Tails. His voice was weak, but it still caused an echo.

"It doesn't matter anymore! I just want that bastard dead! The bastard that killed Iruka-sensei and disrespected Hinata and Kakashi-sensei! JUST GIVE ME YOUR POWER!"

The Nine-Tails burst out laughing. "**Gladly. I have already given you almost as much as I can. Also, my chakra is leaking into your chakra system, making it unstable. I will be free no matter what! But better sooner than later! To think that the Snake with the yellow eyes and black hair could be so useful! Alright kid! Remove the seal!" **

As Naruto was about to remove the rotten seal, a hand gripped his wrist and the next thing he knew we was bearing carried by a familiar looking person.

His confusion and surprise were evident in his eyes and voice. "The Fourth… Hokage?"

"**GRRRR! YOU!"**

Slowly walking, the deceased Hokage spoke. "The seal is set to that if 8 tails are released, I will appear within your consciousness. I didn't want that to happen… I never wanted to see you again… Nine-Tails. But… I looked forward to seeing how…"

Metal hitting the floor was followed by a roar. "**AHH! FINALLY FREE !"**

They both turned around, and sure enough, the seal was completely gone and the gate smashed to pieces. What worse was, the Nine-Tails was on his way out, laughing madly.

Naruto turned to face the Hokage, despair evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry! I gave in! Please, forgive me!"

The Fourth Hokage sighed. "There is nothing to forgive. Damn Orochimaru to Hell. He trifled with the seal, causing my appearance to be delayed. Furthermore he made your chakra system unstable by doing so. And now, the Nine-Tails is loose."

"Can't you restore the seal? You must be able to do something!"

Again, the Fourth sighed. But he also shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. I could restore the seal if it was still intact on the gate. But since that isn't the case, there is nothing I can do. Naruto, I'm sorry. I have caused you a lot of trouble be sealing half of the Fox's chakra inside you… forgive me."

If Naruto was confused before, it was nothing to what he was now. Not only knew the Fourth his name, but he also gave him some new information. And the Fourth Hokage, his idol, was asking him to forgive him? But before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

"**And now, time to get my revenge! Die, Naruto Uzumaki and Fourth Hokage!" **

All forgotten about the Sharingan in his eye, Naruto and the deceased Hokage braced themselves for being ripped to shreds by the Nine-Tails. Except that it never happened. A furious roar almost deafened them. "**WHAAAATTT? NO! " **

Green flames roared to life in front of them, filling the space from floor to ceiling, creating an impenetrable wall between the two humans and the Fox. Minato began shivering when he felt a chakra aside from his own, Naruto's and the one belonging to the Nine-Tails.

He whispered, trying to conceal his surprise and fear.

"This chakra… it can't be."

"Well, who we got here. Minato Namikaze: The Yellow Flash and Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Minato slowly turned around. "Dracula!" At this name, the Nine-Tails shifted its attention towards the figure approaching and roared, anger evident in his voice. "**YOU**!"

As Dracula stepped into their line of vision he smiled. "Hello Nine-Tails, or as I call you, Kyuubi. Long time no see. How long has it been, 70, 80 years?"

The Nine-Tails anger rose, as did his roar. "**NOT LONG ENOUGH! REMOVE THAT FIRE OF YOURS AND LET'S FIGHT!" **

Dracula chuckled. "I see your manners haven't changed at all. You know, your roaring was what made me seal you away the first time. It gave me a burning headache. Removing the fire? I guess I could do that, but considering there are bystanders here, I don't think so."

Naruto was confused, but that was soon replaced by anger. "YOU! HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE? YOU NEED THE SHARINGAN TO DO THAT!"

Before Dracula could answer, Minato chimed in. "I was wondering that too. Why are you here?"

Dracula chuckled again, settling his eyes on Minato. "I could ask you the same thing, Namikaze. But that is irrelevant right now." He sighed in exasperation. "Geez, you were supposed to be the genius of your generation, yet you didn't take into consideration that I placed a trap or curse on that scroll? Or that by combining seals you risked weakening them, making them easier to be trifled with? And look where you are now! YOU IDIOT HOKAGE!"

Minato kept quiet. He couldn't help but feeling that he was back under Jiraiya's tutelage and being scolded again. But some of what Dracula said made perfect sense now. Also, he felt horrible for making Naruto suffer the way he had. He sighed.

"I'm so sorry Naruto. If I had been a little smarter, you wouldn't have suffered the way you have. What's more, Kakashi-kun would still be alive if I hadn't allowed him to go with me on that mission to steal from Dracula. Yes, Kakashi-kun. In case you don't know this, he was my student years ago." He sighed again. "Alright Lord Dracula, we need to do something about this fox."

Dracula looked at the flabbergasted Naruto to the determined looking Fourth Hokage. Then he snorted.

"First of all, we don't do anything. Your chakra is fading quickly and the brat over there is only going to be in the way, even with the Sharingan he got from Kakashi Hatake. Secondly, this is beyond your powers now. I will handle this. Thirdly, I guess those pipes with the water and chakra running in them should be fixed. From the looks of it, Orochimaru-kun has been having a really good time here. Here is a little chakra, in case you will need to stop this boy from doing anything so foolish again. This way, you also may have the full chat I suppose you wanted to have. Now, go!"

Minato nodded once he felt his chakra being refilled. He looked at Naruto. "Goodbye."

With that he vanished, leaving Dracula and Naruto and Dracula to deal with the fox. Well, Dracula in any case. Dracula looked at Naruto.

"Do you want to ask something, brat?"

Naruto quickly regained his composure. "Yeah, I do. One: How the Hell did you get in here, without the Sharingan? Two: How did you know I have a Sharingan and I got it from Kakashi-sensei? Three: What is the story you seem to have with the Nine-Tails, the Fourth Hokage and Kakashi-sensei? Four: What the Hell do you mean when you say 'the first time the Nine-Tails was sealed away'? WHO ARE YOU?"

Dracula groaned. This brat was asking too many questions. But it was the Nine-Tails who answered the first question.

"**FOOL! Normal laws don't apply to the Dark Lord, the Night Lord, the Dark Bijuu or as his real name is**: **Dracula Vampire! Our story goes way back. I suppose the easiest way to explain it to you would be that he is the father to me and the rest of the Bijuu! LET ME RIP YOU BOTH TO SHREDS RIGHT NOW!" **

If Naruto had been confused before, it was nothing compared to now. He looked at Dracula.

"HUH? You are father to the Bijuu? WHAT THE HELL?"

Dracula nearly sweat dropped. How dense could this kid be? He sighed.

"That would be a very simple and wrong way of explaining it. But there is some truth in it. The rules of the living don't apply to me. But I'm the origin of the Bijuu, I can't nor won't deny that. The most correct way to put it for you to understand it would be saying that I was first Jinchuuriki in the world. The Bijuu origin from my evil and power. That evil and power were eating me up from the inside, so I was forced to let go of it. That resulted in the creation of the Bijuu. And what the Hell is there to misunderstand about the first time the Nine-Tails was sealed away? Good grief boy, are you really as stupid as you look? Do you really believe that the world as you know it would be standing if all of the Tailed Beasts had been allowed to roam across the world as they pleased? No dear boy. Until about 800 years ago, I made sure that only 2 of them could run around at a time while the others were sealed away. As a matter of fact, you must be the 12th or 13th to host the Nine-Tails. I knew about your Sharingan by eavesdropping on the Fifth Hokage and the man with the white hair. Plus I read it in your eye when you rubbed the left. The story about me, Kakashi Hatake and the Fourth Hokage is long. To make it short I will say that they stole, together with a woman called Kushina, something from me. A scroll with some of mine jutsus to be exact. One of those jutsus made it possible for the Fourth Hokage to seal the Nine-Tails away. And seeing how the Nine-Tails here already told you my name, I suppose that is it. Now, if you don't have any more questions, I will get to work. Stand back."

Leaving a dumbfounded Naruto, Dracula turned to face the Nine-Tails, he spoke with a calm, but yet cold voice.

"Time for you to get back into your cage, Kyuubi."

"**Ha… I think not. So you entered with your supreme telepathic skill. You're so advanced that you even take your powers with you when you invade someone's mind. But be warned… I'm stronger now.**"

Dracula chuckled darkly. "I agree with you. You are stronger now… however, I doubt you want to put your power to a test against mine."

As he spoke the last word, the green flames flared up again and kinda lashed out at the Nine-Tails. The Nine-Tails involuntarily took a step backwards, just to be safe.

"**FIGHT ME HEAD ON YOU COWARD!" **

Dracula didn't respond to the insult. Instead he just increased the amount flames, making them lash out with increased ferocity, causing the Nine-Tails to take another step back. The Nine-Tails roared in anger and suddenly the green flames were gone. Dracula reacted quickly. Gathering energy in his hands, he fired green flames at the Nine-Tails, causing it to take a step backwards. It roared, blowing some of the flames away. Dracula frowned. This didn't bode well. Making the flames coming in a more concentrated stream, he started moving his arms and hands as he was a puppeteer, making the flames look like they were whips. This proved very effective as the Nine-Tails seemed unable to defend against them. It didn't seem to deal major wounds to the Nine-Tails, but wounds appeared all over its head every time the flames made contact. And although they healed almost instantly, the fox howled every time, but it more or less stood its ground.

Dracula was getting frustrated. He growled out curses and other things.

"Why you… you stinking fox, you need a bath! Water Summoning: Flood Serpent!"

All of the water in the corridors came thundering towards them, and the water they was standing in retreated and added itself to the front of the water that soon formed a snake with its mouth wide open. It filled the entire corridor as it came, but at Dracula's unspoken command, it became thin enough to fly through a little hole between the whips, hitting the Nine-Tails square in the face. The raw strength of the impact was so huge that it slowly pushed the Nine-Tails further backwards. In slight amazement, Dracula turned to Naruto.

"You know kid… your chakra and willpower is quite impressive. Of course it's combined with my own, but still."

Naruto slowly opened his new eye and looked at the water snake. He saw chakra in it. His own and a much darker and older chakra. "So you mean…?"

"Yes kid, this attack draws on your power along with mine. Now, time to give this fox the last push."

Naruto was stunned. He never imagined a ninja this strong. What happened next made his jaw drop. The water snake disappeared and Dracula concentrated his attacks around the Nine-Tails' eyes and nose. Howling in pain and anger, the Nine-Tails backed away until he was behind the doorway. Dracula reacted quickly. Gathering another considerable amount of chakra and formed seals that ended in the sequence of tiger, dog, birth and snake. His voice was clear, although he was beginning to feel the strain of his usage of chakra.

"Time Jutsu: Divine Restoration!"

The smashed gate began glowing with a golden and blue light before it flew, repaired, back to where it should be. And the rotten piece of paper with the kanji 'seal' on it flew up and placed itself where it had been before… except that it no longer was rotten. Also, all of the pipes glowed blue. When the light subsided they were all repaired.

Dracula sighed, panting.

"Whew… that was harder than I thought it would be." He glanced at Naruto who once again covered his Sharingan. "I have repaired your chakra system and the seal. It is now as stable as when you last fought Orochimaru. I can't replace it with one of my seals. But it should hold for now. After all, the Fourth Hokage wasn't completely stupid. Time for us to return to reality, Naruto-kun."

"**GRRRR! THIS DOESN'T END HERE! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" **

Dracula cast one last glance at the visage of fox. "Perhaps you will. But not today."

With that Dracula and Naruto returned to reality.

-Back in reality-

Naruto, now back in his real form, though badly burned, fell backwards. But before he hit the ground, Dracula caught him. Although panting heavily, Dracula smiled.

"Easy there boy. Your chakra system is still recovering from being filled with the Nine-Tails'. You need rest. Also, you should know that your recovery rate won't be so high as usual for the next couple of weeks."

Naruto, feeling the exhaustion in his body, trembled slightly as he glared with his own eye at Dracula. His voice was very weak, but audible in the silence.

"Although I'm glad you put back the Nine-Tails and restored my chakra system, I can't forgive you. As soon as I am has recovered completely, I will hunt you down. No matter how far you run, no matter how you hide, I will hunt you down and kill you."

Dracula looked at the boy. He felt three chakra signatures approaching fast and several right behind them at a slower pace. Then he smiled grimly.

"No you won't. You see, while I talked with the Hokage and Kazekage I placed a mental seal in all of you except for the big man with white hair, Hokage and Kazekage that will partly erase your memory of me as soon as you fall asleep. You will not remember any of what I told you in your own mind or afterwards. Likewise, the others won't remember anything about our fight in your possessed form. They will think the crater is some kind of remnant from the civil war in your village. I also did it with everyone I met in the village, just in case my mass memory-eraser plan should fail, which it did the moment I engaged you in a fight. All of them will just remember me as a stranger that brought news to them, without having even a hint of knowing who I'm."

Naruto barely heard the last of it before he passed out, exhausted. Dracula chuckled as he stood up, lifting Naruto in his arms. Chuckling he saw the three people he sensed earlier: Gaara, Jiraiya and Tsunade. He sighed. He could feel the fatigue kicking in, slowly. He had forgotten how much of his Death chakra those jutsus required. He would have to rest. But not before having a final word with the three leaders.

"NARUTO!"

Turning to face the Gaara and the two Sannin, he spoke, handing Naruto over to Jiraiya who took him in his arms.

"He is fine, except for the burns. I put the Nine-Tails back into its cage and I fixed the seal and his chakra system. He will need rest. And lots of it. Also, he should refrain from using the Sharingan right away. His chakra level is dangerously low at the moment, so using the Sharingan too early could drain the last of his chakra. But he should consider himself lucky. If it hadn't been for the First Hokage's necklace, the Nine-Tails would have broken free before I could do anything about it.

Now, farewell. Oh, don't be surprised if the no one except for you three remembers anything about me after they have slept. It will be my doing and for the best."

With that he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, just as the others caught up. Tsunade went straight to business. "Neji, check Naruto's chakra system."

"Yes Lady Hokage. Byakugan!" Neji was silent for a moment, then his facial expression changed into one of confusion, then relief. "Lady Hokage, weird this may sound, but his chakra is stable and his network is functioning as it should."

Tsunade nodded in relief and made contact with Jiraiya and Gaara, all three of them agreeing on never mentioning this to anybody. Tsunade muttered under her breath as she tried healing Naruto, still in Jiraiya's arm.

"Thank you… Dracula. Thank you so much."

End chapter 16 part two.


	21. Chapter 21: Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Back in the Leaf. Life Goes On

"NOOO! KAKASHI!"

Anko fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollable. They had reached the village, and now Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto stood in the Hokage's office, Naruto covered in bandages, the necklace twinkling. They had just given Anko a ring made of gold with a big red diamond. Her sobbing increased.

"I… sob... would propose! I… I didn't… sob… even got to tell him… sob… that I'm pregnant. I … I carry his child!"

Tsunade sighed behind her desk, giving the young woman a compassionate look.

"No words can say how sorry I'm for your loss. Anko, if there is anything I can do, just say the word."

Anko wiped her tears away. "Thank you Lady Hokage. Now, you must have me excused. I need to get home. I… I will see you all later."

Tsunade nodded her approval. They had only been back for an hour and she had already told them about Hinata Hyuuga as they didn't seem to remember anything about Dracula, which she was glad for. The teenagers were very saddened by the news. But that was to be expected. Unfortunately, she still had sad news to relay. Especially for Naruto. She knew how close Iruka and Naruto had been. Tsunade sighed heavily, briefly wondering how many loses Naruto could handle before he broke completely. There was no doubt that he would need to see Inoichi, Ibiki or another with a psychologist education. She herself and Jiraiya had one, but she wouldn't have time for it right away. Especially now with the funerals and reconstruction of the village. And Jiraiya would leave the village soon to gather information, and past experiences told Tsunade that having many 'psychologists' to one man, or rather boy, was never a good idea. She sighed.

"I'm afraid I have more bad news."

They swallowed hard, not wanting to hear it but knowing that they had to.

"Iruka is…"

She didn't manage to tell them the rest as shouts could be heard from the corridor outside. Just as they were about to go check what the heck was going on, the doors burst open and in came…

Iruka, covered in bandages and hospital clothes, sitting in a wheelchair, two disgruntled and bewildered ANBU guards entangled in ropes a couple of feet behind him.

"THANK GOODNESS! NARUTO, YOU ARE ALIVE! Are you alright?"

Naruto stared at Iruka's form before throwing himself into a tight embrace.

"Iruka-sensei! You are still alive! The stranger was wrong!"

Tsunade was, to say the least, confused and surprised. Then it hit her. Dracula. Apparently they had some faint memories about Dracula. And Tsunade soon realized why she, Gaara and Jiraiya could remember everything. Gaara and she were leaders and apparently he more or less considered Jiraiya a leader too. But what surprised Tsunade the most was that Iruka had survived encountering the most deadly ninja ever to walk the Earth when he intended to kill. Just as she was about to ask how it was possible, Shizune dashed into the room, causing the ANBU guards to fall on their rear. Very displeased, although it didn't really show, the ANBU left the office without being dismissed. Pointing a finger at Shizune, Tsunade spoke. "Report."

Shizune took a quick glance at the two males hugging each other, her junior medic and the stoic boy, before starting.

"The civil war ended some days ago. A stranger came and put an end to it. We assume that he tried killing Iruka, but thanks to a new nurse, Iruka's life was saved. She swiftly closed the most critical wounds and started filling him with blood pills. After the stranger put an end to the war, he disappeared. We haven't found any traces of him. Anyway, right after that, I and some other medics were called to the hospital by the same nurse. After 8 hours of treatment, Iruka's condition was no longer critical. But…"

At this she trailed off, giving her master and the man in the wheelchair uncertain glances. Tsunade frowned slightly. "What? What is it, Shizune?"

Shizune sighed, gaining Naruto's and Iruka's full attention. "I'm afraid that… during the operation or even perhaps during the first or second attempt on Iruka's life, his nerve system was damaged beyond repair. He… he won't be able to walk again. His is paralyzed from the waist and down. Furthermore, he needs medicine to dull the phantom pains. Lady Tsunade, I'm afraid even you won't be able to heal this. You should know where this is headed… Iruka won't be able to carry out missions as a ninja or fight again."

Tsunade sighed yet again. But to her surprise, Iruka just chuckled, although darkly. "Well, don't worry about it. Paralyzed is better than dead. Hopefully I will still be able to teach the young ninjas in the Academy to some extent. Besides, I'm not into fighting and that kinda stuff. I will leave that to Kakashi-san. By the way, where is he?"

At this, Naruto turned away from Iruka, closing his eyes. Well, the left had been closed the whole time, but Iruka hadn't paid attention to that. However, the sharp intake of breath and Naruto turning his head away didn't go unnoticed by the chuunin. Gently taking a hold of Naruto's wrist, he spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

"Naruto… where is Kakashi?"

Suppressing his sobs and tears, Naruto turned around and opened both of his eyes. Iruka was at a loss of words for a second, before gasping out. "The Sharingan! But… that means…!" He trailed off.

Tsunade nodded once she and Iruka made eye-contact. "Yes Iruka. Kakashi Hatake was killed in action. He gave his life in order to save Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke from the Akatsuki. And once you have recuperated a little more, you will resume your teaching in the Academy. I hope to see you to the funerals the next three days. First we will bury all of them who fell in the war. Next will be a memorial ceremony for Kakashi at the Memorial Stone for all of them who want to show their last respect. Lastly will be Hinata's funeral at the Hyuuga compound. Friends and family only with the exceptions of Jiraiya, me and Gaara. Oh, and Naruto: You should cover that Sharingan or at least close your eye. We won't want you to die from chakra depletion."

Naruto merely mumbled. "Yes Granny Tsunade."

Shizune and Iruka left. When Naruto was about to follow them, Sasuke spoke up.

"Lady Hokage. I know that I probably shouldn't speak up right now, but do you know where to find this file or what it is: T7KHST?"

Tsunade shifted her attention to Sasuke. "Not at the moment. I suppose you can go look for it in his apartment, but don't expect to find it. One more thing before you can go: Once we're done with the funerals, there will be a hearing, Sasuke. Me, the Elders and the clan heads will judge you, based on what Ibiki and Inoichi report after interrogating you. You're dismissed."

The three teenagers nodded and left the room. As they walked down the corridor, they passed the Village Elders. Homura and Koharu frowned and scowled when they saw Sasuke walking around while Danzou just kept walking. Sasuke and Naruto merely glared back until the Elders rounded a corner and a door was opened just to be slammed. The trio had just walked out on the staircase when the shouting started, and although they couldn't hear what the voices shouted, there was no doubt who the one shouting the most was; Tsunade.

Not wanting people to assume they were eavesdropping, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura walked away. As they walked down the streets, they noticed people were repairing buildings, removing glass and debris or extinguishing fires. Occasionally crying could be heard as both ninja and civilians found bodies among the ruins, even after four or five days after the war stopped. The genins were running errands, while chuunin, jounin and ANBU were patrolling the rooftops non-stop or helping out with the fires and 'cleaning'. Every ninja they talked seemed rather disturbed. All of them talked about gates in the village that had crumbled as soon as the Hokage entered town. That explained the shockwave earlier, but it didn't explain why no one had found any remnants of them. Shrugging it off, they continued walking. The rest of their companions were with their families or keeping Chouji and Lee company in the hospital. None paid attention to the three teenagers as the walked. None of them noticed that Sasuke Uchiha was back in town or the bandaged up Jinchuuriki.

While they walked and took in the horrors before them, they suddenly felt like they were fresh out of the Academy. Even Sasuke. This brought back memories from the massacre back then, except that this time around, it wasn't just in one part of town but everywhere. He briefly wondered how things would have looked if they had returned earlier. But he quickly pushed the thought away as he shuddered- the decaying corpses' smell made him nauseous, even worse than the times with Orochimaru.

Sakura suppressed her feelings and nausea. Being a medic, she had seen a lot of grave wounds and other bad things. However, this was something else. Limbs appeared in the debris, without traces of the man or woman they belonged to. Of course there were also good things as when a survivor was found. She wanted to be at the hospital helping out, but Tsunade had refused to her and Ino go, saying that they needed rest. Now, Sakura was grateful for not having to be helping out. People were being still carried away on stretchers, missing arms and legs and stuff like that, their rattling breaths sending shiver down her spine.

'So this is what war is like? I hope I never have to see things like this again' she thought, but knowing that as a ninja and a medic one at that, the chances for that wish coming true were close to zero.

"I finally understand why Kakashi-sensei said we were just kids playing ninjas. Except for what he told us back then, we… we don't know anything about large-scale battle… or war for that matter. Reading about it in the books, hearing the older generations talk about it… you just don't know what is until you actually have been there yourself. Compared to this… our battles seem like a fight in a schoolyard."

Before Sasuke could open his mouth to say something to Naruto, they stopped and stared at a door. Without realizing, they had walked straight to Kakashi's apartment. Hesitating for a moment, Naruto reached out for the doorknob and twisted. The door opened and they entered their sensei's home. It was a small apartment with a little bathroom and kitchen. Sitting room and bedroom melted into one. There was a table, a bookcase and a chest of drawers, a chair and his bed. Glancing at the bookcase, they saw of course his collection of books. Taking a better look, they noticed items as well. A, to them weird looking kunai with three prongs and inscriptions on it lay shining beside a pair of orange goggles and a green earring. Paying little attention to those things, they soon found several briefcases. They took of them out, sat down on the bed and opened. Or rather, Sakura took it out and sat down while Sasuke sat down to her left and Naruto to her right. Giving in to their curiosity, they opened it. It was a portfolio, showing pictures of an infant Kakashi with a man with silver hair in a ponytail. He was sitting together with what must have been his wife in a couch somewhere else than here, seeing that the place was much bigger. Woman had long black hair, a happy smile adorning her face, making the grey eyes so much more alive as she sat with her son and husband. As they looked through the pages, then soon discovered it must have Kakashi's first home. When looking at the pictures more carefully, they had to assume that it was something like a really big house. They closed the portfolio and took out the next. Kakashi had turned three and was looking far from happy. They would soon found out why. Occasionally they saw familiar faces. The Third, Jiraiya and Tsunade, the Third, even Orochimaru, smiling alongside Kakashi's father. Kakashi was five and was standing proudly beside his father, some of the light having returned to his eyes. They all chuckled when they saw how cute he was as a kid with his mask on. This was far from the bad-ass sensei they had been taught by. By the age of eight, his eyes were once again dull as he stood beside a young blond man. Wondering why, they turned the pages. What they saw startled them a little. Kakashi, nine years old, standing between a boy and a girl with a scowl on his face. The girl had brown hair and was glancing at Kakashi while the boy had black hair and was glaring at Kakashi. Glancing on the picture of Kakashi's old team, they saw that it was the same boy and girl. Which meant the blond man must have been his sensei. Glancing at the picture of the old team 7, Naruto yelped together with Sakura.

"No way! Kakashi-sensei was taught by the Fourth Hokage? ARE YOU KIDDING?"

Naruto had forgotten everything about his conversation with the Nine-Tails and Fourth Hokage.

Sighing, Sasuke took a new portfolio. "What is so surprising about it? Even Kakashi-sensei was genin once. Although I'm a little surprised that he was genin for four years without a team. Here is another portfolio."

The next picture shocked them all. Kakashi was no more than 14 or 15, but his eyes made him look a lot older. Two different eyes. Once blackish-grey, the other was the Sharingan. Naruto rubbed his eye. So, when Kakashi was younger than them, he already had his Sharingan. When he was sixteen or seventeen, his eyes displayed one feeling: Loneliness. What they saw next almost made them choke. Especially Sasuke and Naruto. A young Itachi, 13 or so, was kissing Ayame, the ramen-stand owner's daughter. Going a little backwards, they saw several pictures with a young, smiling Itachi beside Kakashi and sometimes the girl or young woman from Kakashi first squad. When turning the next page, they saw both Kakashi and Itachi in their ANBU attire, Itachi holding a mask looking like a weasel in his left hand, while he tried getting out of Kakashi hold, although smiling greatly like he was having the time of his life. Kakashi was holding him around the neck with his left arm, wolf mask on the side of his head, while laughing his heart out as he ruffled Itachi's hair. Sasuke mumbled.

"This is from when Itachi became ANBU captain."

The others nodded in understanding, not believing how close the two Sharingan warriors had been. Well, Sakura knew, but kept quiet with her knowledge.

As they turned the page over to the last picture, they saw eight people, all in ANBU gear. The masks were on while they took up battle stances, their katana ready to strike. Well, except for Kakashi and Itachi. Kakashi had his mask to his right side, crouching down and holding two white shining swords at each side of Itachi throat, holding them as he was about to slice it. Itachi was sitting in front of Kakashi with his sword across his lap while the mask stood in front of him.

As they were about to close the portfolio, Naruto spoke up.

"Wait. There is something on the backside. I saw it due to the reflection from the leather."

Curious, the teenagers took out the picture and turned it. Indeed, there was some text.

_7th ANBU squad, known as the Death Dealers. _

_Kakashi Hatake, alias Wolf, captain._

_Itachi Uchiha, alias Weasel, lieutenant soon to be promoted to captain._

_Shaka Nara, alias Hyena, lieutenant, missing, presumed K.I.A _

_Hinaki Hyyuga, alias Tiger, private, K.I.A_

_Saka Tobu, alias Bear, private, K.I.A _

_Horunji Hatoa, alias Cat, private, K.I.A_

_Nawakato Kolga, alias Wolverine, private, K.I.A_

_Santa Jingle, alias Seal, private, K.I.A_

Flabbergasted, they looked at the animal masks corresponding took the last portfolio, curious and dreading at the same time to what they may find. What they saw made Sakura smile and giggle, Sasuke's mouth twitch into something that resembled a smile while Naruto's eye went wide and blush. Most of these pictures were of a little blond boy with whiskers on his face, playing, getting a bath or stuff like that with a smiling Kakashi. Sakura burst out laughing.

"Aww… CUTE!"

Naruto just stared at the picture with him sitting on Kakashi's shoulders. He couldn't believe it. Kakashi, his sensei, used to play with him? As they turned the pages, they saw Naruto when he was six, in a hospital after a very nasty beating, crying into the robes of a wolf masked ANBU, while the Third was seen in the background. The next picture was much more cheerful, at least for Sakura and Naruto. It displayed a very young Sasuke, trying to outrun a young Itachi as the latter wanted to give him a bath in the tub in the background. The next photo showed the two brothers in the tub, Itachi looking very disgruntled, still with his clothes on, as Sasuke tried escaping and Itachi to keep him there, while an amused looking Kakashi, in ANBU gear, laughed at the sight.

Even Sasuke had to smile at this, and soon they all burst out laughing.

"Having fun brats?"

Turning to the window, they saw Jiraiya looking at them. Sakura was the first to recover.

"Master Jiraiya? What are you doing here?"

Jiraiya glanced at Sasuke before responding. "I'm here to escort Sasuke to get some new clothes. He need it for the funerals and later anyway. Just so you know, the funerals have been postponed a day."

Sasuke merely nodded. Then Naruto spoke. "Pervy Sage… How was Kakashi-sensei as young? With his genin team and such. Where are some of those photos taking?"

Jiraiya glanced at the picture with his former student before sighing deeply. "First of all, the picture beside yours shows a jounin-sensei, one chuunin and two genins." Upon seeing Naruto's look, he sighed again and continued. "Kakashi graduated from the Academy at the age of five and became chuunin at the age of six. That picture is taking when he got assigned to a team. He is about nine there. The rest of the pictures, I suppose, are taking in the Hatake Estate."

They nodded their understanding, although they never had heard about Kakashi being a noble. Another question popped up in Naruto's head.

"Pervy Sage… in many of the pictures, Kakashi-sensei's eyes… they express loneliness, sorrow, anger and hatred although he is so young. How come?"

At this, Jiraiya lowered his gaze sadly, before speaking in a low husky voice.

"Can you blame him? His mother died when he was four in an enemy raid, his father committed suicide to save his last honour when Kakashi was eight; best friend died in the Third Great Ninja War when he was 13 and had been promoted to jounin. His sensei died when he sealed the Nine-Tails away; Kakashi was fourteen. When he was 16-17, his girlfriend died too. To make it all worse, lots of people shunned him and soiled the memories of those he held dear. Especially after the mission where his friend died and he got his Sharingan. The Uchiha clan demanded that he gave up the eye and claimed that he had been the mastermind behind his friend's demise. The exceptions being Itachi, and the boy's parents, Uruchi and Teyaki Uchiha.

As for how he was as young… until the tragedies started, he was a cheerful and normal happy kid, except for being a genius. But after the slandering of his father, he changed. He became cold, isolated and hellbent on following the rules, no matter the circumstances. He discarded all emotions from the age of eight. He became, what his father was not, and none of us who knew him wanted him to be, a tool. You see, his father abandoned a mission and saved his team-mates instead. The Leaf suffered heavy losses because of that. In any case, even his team-mates on that mission, Rake Uchiha and Surenji Kota turned against him, blaming him for the losses the village sustained. Think about that you three… the very people he saved, blaming him, saying that he should have abandoned them and completed the mission. The White Fang, Kakashi's father, who was put in the same high esteem as the Sannin, broke down until he only was a shadow of his former self. He barely left his house, barely had visitors. One year later, Kakashi came home. Do you know what he found?"

They shook their heads.

"He found his father in a pool of his own blood, a sword in his gut. When Kakashi's sensei and I found Kakashi, he was curled up beside his father, blood in his hair and on his clothes, refusing to let go. As a matter of fact, he punched me and his sensei as I carried him away. I suppose three days had passed since his father's suicide. After that, Kakashi was hellbent on following the rules. It wasn't until his friend was killed that changed, adopting many of his traits: tardiness, and lame excuses for being late. Although, Kakashi was late to your meetings and such since he was mourning. That's right kids… Whenever he was late, it was because he was mourning the deaths of his precious people. But aside from that, he had a happy childhood."

Sakura was heartbroken. She never imagined Kakashi having such a childhood. He grew up in a time of war, fought in a war and lost people in said war. She thought back to their bell-test after failing first round. How he told them how his friends' names were carved into that stone. That was how he grew up? Fighting in a war? They had seen the horrors of the aftermath of this civil war, but Kakashi had seen the horrors of war when he was younger than they were now, and been there when the fighting was worst. That and the things that had occurred to him when he was a child… it really put things into perspective. Allowing a few tears to flow, she looked at her team-mates.

Naruto was a pale as a ghost. His childhood compared to Kakashi's… they had been the same. Almost. The difference was that Naruto always had been despised by the villagers, while Kakashi had been it from the time his father saved his friends.

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Itachi and Kakashi being so close friends. Also, he felt disgusted with his clan. He looked thought back to the photo of the ANBU squad. There was ringing a bell in his head.

"Master Jiraiya… The Death Dealers… the ANBU squad. Why did they have that name? How were they killed?"

Shifting his attention to Sasuke, Jiraiya frowned slightly. Not because he was annoyed, but because he thought back. Then he sighed.

"The Death Dealers… the most famous and feared ANBU squad the Hidden Leaf Village has ever seen. Under Kakashi's command they performed several assassinations and missions no one ever would have thought possible, won countless battles and thus earned glory, respect and fear to nearly match that of the Sannin. No one could stop them once they set out. At a time, there was an order to flee on first sight of them. Something only accomplished by the Fourth Hokage and one I won't speak of. They were the elite of elites… the entire group made up of child prodigies, though Kakashi and Itachi being the youngest. Until one week after that photo was taken."

The teenagers' eyes went wide. Sakura was the one to voice their thoughts. "What happened?"

Jiraiya sighed sadly. "I don't know the details. One week after the picture was taken, Itachi was promoted to captain. An urgent mission came up, but Kakashi was out on a solo mission. Thus Itachi was appointed to lead that mission. It was a catastrophe. The whole group fell into an ambush and was slaughtered. One week after the mission was appointed to the group, Kakashi was seen carrying Itachi through the gates. I don't know if Kakashi heard of the mission when he returned two days after they set out or if he ran into them on the way back; but that is irrelevant. Itachi was covered in blood, armour torn and badly bruised with several broken bones, while Kakashi was fuming with fury. Later that day, after Kakashi had gotten Itachi to the hospital, a very pissed off Kakashi was seen and heard yelling at the Third. Something about being irresponsible and Itachi too young and inexperienced. I have only seen Kakashi so pissed once before that."

Jiraiya sighed.

"Soon people started saying that it was Itachi that killed the group since he was the lone survivor. But once the rumours reached Kakashi's ears, the village was once again faced with his anger. Soon no one dared to speak about it when Kakashi was in town, unless they wished to end up in the hospital."

Sasuke nodded and spoke in a low voice. "I remember that. Itachi came back from a mission that went terrible wrong. He locked himself up in his room, refusing to talk to anyone. Until an ANBU with a wolf mask came. My father tried refusing admission into our home, but the ANBU just growled at him, saying something like that he didn't give a damn about how proud the Uchiha clan was about having the only survivor from that mission. The only thing he cared about was seeing how his friend was doing. I never thought about it back then, but many from my clan said Itachi killed them. I didn't believe them back then. What about you, Master Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment. "I don't think Itachi killed them. I believe he was given a mission he wasn't ready to lead. I think they were ambushed. We will probably never know. What we do know is that good sninobi perished. One of them Hiashi Hyuuga's wife, the mother of Hinata and Hanabi Hyuuga. Kakashi found the corpses of the others, except for Nara. Kakashi only found a bloodied mask in a crater. He burned the others, just as the ANBU protocol says he should." Jiraiya sighed yet again. "In any case, Sasuke, we need to get going. Naruto and Sakura: I will suggest you two getting a move on too."

The three teenagers nodded and left, going their respective ways.

000000

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke stood in black mourning clothes. Naruto was still bandaged up. They had a hard time believing it. Put together, almost a tenth of the Hidden Leaf's population had been killed. The Root had been good at removing their fallen, thereby giving an inaccurate assumption of the deceased. Naruto glanced to his left. Iruka was sitting in his wheelchair, with Konohamaru and his friends close by; the three kids with bandages too, and Naruto wondered how things got so much out of hands. He also wondered how many times Kakashi had attended to funerals like this. He only listened half-heartedly as Tsunade listed the names of the fallen. Men, women and children alike. The funeral was over before he realized it. He just walked home to his apartment, cleaned it, and got some food before heading off to the hospital to get his bandages changed and a check-up on his Sharingan. After that he went home, falling asleep.

000000

Naruto hung his head sadly. Once again, he was covered in black robes. He was standing in the front row, facing the Memorial Stone while Tsunade engraved the name 'Kakashi Hatake' into the stone and placed his headband and white flower in front of it.

Tsunade stood up, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. She gazed up in the grey sky before speaking in a low voice, although the first was to herself.

"Damnit Kakashi. You were supposed to be my successor. You were supposed to attend to my funeral as the Sixth Hokage. I know you would have protested and said that you couldn't and that you would say that I should choose Naruto instead. But he is too young right now, we both know that."

She sighed and spoke with a voice that trembled slightly, but still audible and intelligible.

"The ceremony for Kakashi Hatake, the Copy-ninja and Wolf of the Hidden Leaf Village will now begin. And seeing that Kakashi enjoyed making things special, we will do so too, in order to honour his memory. We will now listen to and sing one of Kakashi's favourite songs; Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton."

Just as she stopped talking, a low music came from all around the tree line. Then words came, and the attending people soon chimed in.

"_Would you know my name  
If I saw you in heaven?  
Would it be the same  
If I saw you in heaven?_

_I must be strong  
And carry on,  
'Cause I know I don't belong  
Here in heaven._

_Would you hold my hand  
If I saw you in heaven?  
Would you help me stand  
If I saw you in heaven?_

_I'll find my way  
Through night and day,  
'Cause I know I just can't stay  
Here in heaven._

_Time can bring you down,  
Time can bend your knees.  
Time can break your heart,  
Have you begging please, begging please._

_Beyond the door,  
There's peace I'm sure,  
And I know there'll be no more  
Tears in heaven._

_Would you know my name  
If I saw you in heaven?  
Would it be the same  
If I saw you in heaven?_

_I must be strong  
And carry on,  
'Cause I know I don't belong  
Here in heaven._"

Tsunade bit back her tears and sobs and began talking.

"Kakashi was born in a time of war. His grow was impressive. Genin at the age of 5, chuunin at 6, jounin when 13, ANBU when he turned 14 and ANBU captain one year later. His childhood and youth was filled with loss. But unlike so many others, he never broke down. He had a goal. He wanted to prove himself worthy to be acknowledged by this village, becoming the perfect tool of war. It was this pressure on him, people expecting him to be a tool that cost him his friend's life. Once acknowledged by the village, he stopped being a tool, if only partly. Tragedies kept hitting him. But he didn't break down. Not because he wanted to prove himself, but because someone needed him. He grew up too fast. As an adult, he started appreciating literature so much that no one went unharmed if they did anything to his books. He was very protective of them. And…"

At this Naruto more or less stopped listening. Glancing at Sasuke and Sakura, he saw their small smiles. He smirked a little, knowing that they were thinking the same as him. When Tsunade had mentioned Kakashi being protective of his 'literature', it brought back memories.

It had been shortly after their failure at seeing his face. Once recovered from that and back in the village, the three genins had put their heads together to find a way to see his face. Sakura had come up with an idea. Brilliant as Naruto and, more or less, Sasuke had put it. The idea: Blackmail! Face for book. Sakura and Naruto were to distract Kakashi while Sasuke was to sneak into his apartment and steal the book. Then they were to meet up in the forest on their first training ground. The first step of their plan was a success: they got the book and met in the forest after leaving a note for Kakashi that told him to meet his book 'captors' the next day. But from there anything went astray. Kakashi hadn't taken the news of his missing book very well. In fact he was pissed. In order to get the culprits, having a slight idea that this was one of Naruto's pranks, he summoned his dogs to sniff them out. He also enlisted Hinata's aid, claiming that Naruto was missing and might be in danger, causing her to search to the best of her abilities with her Byakugan. It had been late evening back then. When he found them, he was shocked to his very core. Setting in front of a fire, the three preteens were reading his book, having a small nosebleed. They hadn't been aware of his presence since they were so engrossed in his book. He had snuck up on them from behind. When he spoke, he had scared the living daylight out of them. Their shock caused them to, involuntarily, rip the book apart and toss it into the fire. Kakashi threw himself past them in order to save his beloved book, but it was too late. Devastated, he began crying anime-style. Sasuke had said that their plan had failed and they would do better to retreat while Kakashi was 'mourning'. Unfortunately, as they retreated backwards as they didn't want to face Kakashi at the moment, Naruto stepped on a twig that snapped. That alerted Kakashi and soon he had caught them and tied them to the poles. He had stood in front of them, cracking his knuckles, asking them how they thought they could redeem their actions. Not thinking their suggestions like cleaning the whole town for free were good enough, he gave them an ultimatum: Either they were to outrun some of his jounin friends in the Forest of Death or he could assign them to doing D-ranked missions of his choice, without being paid. Not wanting to face jounins in that area, they agreed to the latter. It couldn't be that bad, could it? No, it was worse. At least for them. After their missions, they were of the opinion that their 'missions' should be S-ranked instead. Naruto was to work in his favourite ramen stand for a week. At this he had just grinned. That is, till Kakashi told him that he wouldn't get any money for it from the owner. Nor was he allowed to eat there at all. And as a measure to insure this, he convinced Anko to be there. Sakura was to walk and bath his dogs for a week, every day. Sounds easy? Think again. Bull was far from fond and happy of the idea of being washed in a tub by a girl he could push aside any day he wanted and Runner enjoyed running into forests when they were out walking. As for Sasuke: To live with one of his fan girls and help them out with her chores; he could pick anybody he wanted but Sakura. After two days, they had had enough and told hm they would do anything else. At this he had laughed and said that they could have said sorry from the beginning, but now it was too late. So they had to endure the remaining three days.

Laughing inwardly, Naruto focused on Tsunade's speech once again.

"… gave his life for the people precious to him and the younger generation, hoping for a better future. His end was truly fitting for a true sninobi. Let his death be an inspiration for all of us who want to make a better future. Kakashi Hatake, may you rest in peace."

The ceremony ended. Tsunade walked away, closely followed by Gaara. The Sand ninja hadn't left since they wanted to pay their last respect. Well, mostly of them anyway. Knowing that his disappearance might have caused one heck of ruckus in the village, Gaara had ordered some to return to the village to inform them about his whereabouts. Besides, they also needed to arrange for their fallen to be transported back to their families. Glancing around he saw Temari holding hands with Shikamaru as they walked away, Anko walking away being supported by Gai. Yamato just stood in silence before walking away. Soon there was no one left except for him, Sasuke and Sakura. Moving a bit closer to the stone, they could clearly see Kakashi's name engraved. Sakura stood in the middle with Naruto on her left and Sasuke on her right. They stood there for a minute or two, thinking back to their time. Then Naruto started talking in a low trembling voice.

"Kakashi-sensei you idiot. Why did you have to sacrifice yourself like that? You once said that you wouldn't let your comrades die but… Damnit Kakashi-sensei! I never asked of you to risk your life for me! After all what you have done for me, you absolutely had to save me one last time! After Sakura and I got the bells from you, you said we were equals as team members. That means my life isn't more worth than yours, damnit! So you didn't need to sacrifice yourself! ARG! WHY AM I SO WEAK? SO USELESS!"

"I'm afraid Kakashi might have thought differently. As a matter of fact, I know he did. Just like I know that if he ever heard you talk like that about yourself, he would smack you into next month."

They all turned around and saw Jiraiya standing right behind them. He sighed.

"Look Naruto, I knew Kakashi longer than you did. He wasn't the type who would sit on his ass and let others do the fighting if his precious people were in danger. He wouldn't' be able to live with himself. Besides, he always wanted to die on the battlefield, hoping to make a difference like his team did. Also, Kakashi always said that you meant everything to him. And may all of the deities help those who would assume different. Just ask Iruka about that."

"I would rather they didn't. It is a very bad memory."

They all turned to the left. Iruka was sitting in his wheelchair, dressed in black. Sakura was the one to ask. "Iruka-sensei… what happened?"

Iruka groaned and scowled slightly at Jiraiya. "I guess you need to know. Please, don't get the wrong impression of me and Kakashi. We were both upset and angry."

Then he began his story.

-Flashback start-

Iruka was staring at the sleeping Naruto, all bandaged up. The sun was setting. Kakashi had returned with Naruto on his back, but after making sure Naruto was treated, he hadn't been seen in the hospital. Muttering under his breath, Iruka left.

Five minutes later, he was knocking violently on Kakashi's door. Two minutes later, Kakashi opened the door. He didn't look pleased.

"Iruka? What do you want?"

Not waiting for Kakashi to let him in, Iruka pushed his way inside. Kakashi shrugged, closed the door and went into his kitchen. "Do you want anything to drink Iruka?"

"No thanks Kakashi-san. I came to talk."

Kakashi returned. "Talk? About what?"

Feeling his anger rising, Iruka spoke in a low voice. "Naruto."

Kakashi looked puzzled for a minute. Then he frowned slightly. "Has something happened to him?"

Iruka felt his anger rise even more. He practically shouted "Has something happened? You know something happened! He fought Sasuke to bring him back! And how was it that Sasuke reacted… oh yeah, he almost killed Naruto. It doesn't make it any better that it was with a jutsu you taught him! A jutsu used for assassinations. Do you have anything to say?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "I taught Sasuke that jutsu because he needed it to protect himself from Orochimaru. I'm fully aware of what you told me. The only thing I can say is that I'm sorry for what happened. I thought my words got through to Sasuke back then, but I was too naïve. I was…"

Kakashi didn't finish as Iruka cut him off. "AN IDIOT! AND YOU STILL ARE! THAT IS THE WEAKNESS OF ALL GENIUSES: ARROGANCE! DO YOU… NO, HAVE YOU EVER CARED FOR NARUTO? ANSWER ME!"

Kakashi was silent with a perplexed expression for a while. Until Iruka's words sunk in. Then his expression changed and he narrowed his eye dangerously. His voice was cold as he growled like a wolf.

"How dare you… how dare you accuse me for not caring? I would…"

"BECAUSE IT'S TRUE! AND IF YOU CARE, YOU SURE AS HELL HAVE A STRANGE WAY OF SHOWING IT!"

Kakashi moved fast.

-End flashback-

Iruka sighed. "The next thing I knew was pain and being in freefall. When I looked up for a second, it became clear that Kakashi had hurled me through his window without opening it. To make things worse, I landed on Izumo and Kotetsu. And… perhaps it's just a trick my mind played on me… but I think I saw a black cloak with red skies in a nearby tree. Also, Kakashi and I never made peace with each other after that."

The teens stared at Iruka like he had grown two heads. Especially Naruto. Naruto didn't know what to think and do. One side of him wanted to punch Iruka the other wanted to curse Kakashi's very name. But then he remembered what Iruka had said before he told his story. A medic showed up a little later and took Iruka back to the hospital. Jiraiya left too and soon the teenagers followed suit.

000000

The sky was grey with the sun breaking through here and there which seemed awfully out of place as they stood in the Hyuuga compound, once again, dressed in black. Sasuke was there too, although he was surrounded by four ANBU to secure his safety before his trial. Sasuke stood in the back with his guards, regretting what he had done. Therefore, he didn't blame the Hyuuga members for glaring at him with eyes that wanted to kill him. He glanced around and saw Gaara in the front row, while Naruto and Sakura stood in the third or fourth row.

Naruto suppressed his tears, not knowing what to think. He thought back to last time he saw Hinata and remembered what happened. That incident had brought out feelings he only thought he had for Sakura: Love. He loved both of them, but now one of them was gone. Tears started to flow, whether he wanted or not.

Sakura just stared as they began lowering Hinata's glass coffin into the grave. She clutched her and pinched her sides, hoping this was all just a nightmare that she soon would wake up from. She gazed at the glass and saw that it would soon disappear into the ground with Hinata in it in her white silk dress. She pinched her sides again and felt something. It was very little. Putting her left hand inside her clothes and finding it, she clenched her hand and pulled it out again. She opened her hand and stared at the thing in her hand. It was a little syringe with blazing dark-green or black chakra combined with red and a little blue. The white was gone. She had, for some reason, always kept this syringe with her wherever she went. Then she remembered Kakashi's words.

"_extract of my chakra…Too much of this chakra, and even the dead would be put aflame." _

Staring at the little syringe, she notices how the green-black chakra has taken over. It almost filled the entire space in the syringe. Thinking about Kakashi's words one more time, she came to a decision. Her voice didn't even reach the level of a whisper.

"It's worth a try. Please… let this work!"

She stormed forward just as Hinata's coffin was about halfway down, but Hinata was still above ground level. As she ran, she accidentally hit Sai in the balls, making him fall to the ground. None stopped her as she ran, being too baffled to think.

CLLLIIIRRRRR!

Sakura smashed Hinata's coffin to pieces with one punch and grabbed Hinata before she fell into the grave and jumped. She landed five feet on the side of the grave and injected the contents of the syringe into Hinata. Five seconds later she felt a couple of strong hands pull her back by her hair and into a kneeling position. When she looked up, she saw Hiashi Hyuuga with Byakugan activated and several others Hyuugas with murderous intent rolling of them in waves. Neji was by Hiashi's side, also blazing with fury. Even Tsunade and the others stared at Sakura with venom and disgust. Well, except for Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara. Hiashi let no doubt that he meant every word he said as he spoke, his voice filled with fury.

"What you did… is unforgivable! How dare you desecrate my daughter's coffin like that! You will pay for this… with your life!"

Just as Hiashi raised his hand to deliver a fatal blow without anyone moving to save Sakura, it happened.

FUUUOOOMBLIIISZZZ! The noise and flash of light went unnoticed as the sound wasn't loud enough to drown the roars of "Kill her!" totally; and all were focused on the pink-haired teen about to get killed. However, the ear piercing shriek was.

"ARGGG! IT HURTS! IT BURNS! SOMEBODY… ANYBODY… PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! ARGGH!"

The Hyuugas deactivated their Bloodline Limit and turned around. So did everybody else. Their mouths fell wide open in shock. Green flames roared all over Hinata's body as she cringed in agony, but without burning her. Then they began seeping into her as she felt limb in the process, although she still screamed in pain. The flames became more concentrated as they went into her body. All of them had now disappeared into Hinata and she fall quiet. Neji was the first to recover from the shock and activated his Byakugan. What he saw startled him. The flames were now raw green chakra running through Hinata's chakra network. Then it was gone. Just as he was about to deactivate his Byakugan, it happened. Hinata's heart gave a violent beat as the green chakra reappeared once again and began spreading slowly through her body. His eyes went wide. The chakra was kick-starting her organs; slowly but surely. Also, as the green chakra had spread through her entire system, it slowly turned normally blue, beginning from the heart. And soon her chakra was back, although on a minimum, and her organs were working.

He could not describe what he saw happen in her body, but he didn't need to. He only let three words escape his lips as he whispered in a husky voice.

"She is alive."

He was quite right. Hinata began trembling as she sat up. Sakura was by her side immediately.

"Hinata… are you okay? No, don't try to force yourself. Your body is still very stiff. Take it easy for a minute."

Before Hinata could respond, she found herself being hugged by her father, Neji and her sister. However, the first thing she noticed was Naruto staring at her with his right eye while the left was hidden behind his headband. Ignoring Sakura's advice, Hinata forced herself to stand and shouted as loud as she could.

"Naruto-kun, forgive me! I love you!"

Sakura stood up beside Hinata, supporting her slightly. She looked at Naruto.

Naruto was a loss for words, for once. Here he stood, looking at two beautiful kunoichies who had admitted their love for him. However, remembering his talks with Kakashi while the latter still was in the hospital, and imagining Kakashi's face and laughter if he told him of this predicament, was too much. He couldn't handle it.

"Sakura-chan… Hinata-chan… I… I love you both. But… I can't choose between the two of you. Not now… I'm sorry!"

With that he took off at full speed. Hinata and Sakura managed to take five steps in their pursuit before a small wall of sand rose from the ground and a calm voice spoke.

"Let him go for now. The loss of his sensei is still affecting him. He will come around… with time."

Both girls looked over their shoulders and weren't surprised to see Gaara looking at them, his face emphasizing his point. Sakura nodded in understanding. She turned to face Hinata and saw her worried look. She sighed.

"Hinata… Kakashi-sensei was killed during the rescue mission, giving his Sharingan to Naruto. His death is still affecting Naruto, me and partially Sasuke." Before Hinata could ask, Sakura nodded.

"Yes. Sasuke-kun has returned to the village."

Hinata nodded. "I see."

Sakura looked warily at Hinata. Then she spoke in a low voice. "Hinata… we both love Naruto-kun. Obviously, only one of us can be his girlfriend. At least at a time. So… rivals for love?"

Hinata looked warily at Sakura for a moment. Then her face lit up in a grin.

"Rivals for love. May the best woman win."

They laughed before all the other present bombarded them with questions, both Sasuke and Sakura's desecration completely forgotten. When Sakura told them what Kakashi had told her about the syringe, they all gasped. Well, except for Jiraiya and Tsunade. They shot each other a surprised glance that was replaced with a knowing look.

-Two weeks later.-

All of the Sand ninja had returned to their village and the Leaf was almost rebuilt.

Sakura and Naruto were sitting in Kakashi's apartment. It had been their daily meeting point for the past two weeks. Right now, they were waiting for Sasuke. They had been there for about one hour when he entered, wearing clothes similar to those he had when he was twelve and thirteen. Looking at him with worried eyes, Naruto spoke.

"So? How did it go?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment. Then he smiled.

"Better than I thought it would. I'm not allowed to leave the village for a year. I will be kept under surveillance by ANBU while I train. I'm also to check in on the hospital once a week for a year and report to the Hokage by nightfall. Not too bad, since the Elders wanted me executed."

When he saw their faces, he laughed a little.

"Danzou and the two advisors wanted me executed, but the clan heads put an end to that idea. It seems that they haven't forgotten Danzou's part in the civil war, regardless of whether or not he was under genjutsu. Also, since it has been proved he was under genjutsu, he won't be held responsible for his action during that time, as it can't be proved how much he did was of his own will and how much was the will of the one who put him under genjutsu. And neither will his men. So since they won't be able to put before a court, they thought that agreeing to the Hokage's suggestion was the best way to punish him and the two advisors as they had suggested him being Hokage during the war. And before I forget, I'm also banned from the clan council for one year."

They nodded in understanding before jumping up and giving him a hug. Catching his breath, Sasuke spoke again.

"One more thing: I'm not to live alone for six months. And since I don't want to live with some complete stranger, I was wondering: Can I stay with one of you?"

Before either of them could answer him, an ANBU showed up. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno: The Hokage has requested your presence in her office."

With that he left. The three teenagers looked at each other before leaving. As they walked through the streets, they heard several women talk about how Kakashi had seduced them and slept with them. What startled Naruto was how even girls his age admitted how they had had a crush on the Copy-ninja, ninjas and civilians alike. As they walked they saw Sai, who finally walked remotely normal. They reached the Hokage office five minutes later.

When the teenagers entered, they saw Tsunade sat behind her desk with Shizune behind her, while Anko sat on a chair. The trio took a seat too. Tsunade nodded and took forth a document.

"Very well. We have found this document: T7KHST. It appears to be an abbreviation for: Team 7, Kakashi Hatake's Testament. I will cut all the unnecessary things.

Anko: He leaves you 15 millions ryo and permission to live at the Hatake Estate. On two conditions: The first is that you mustn't live there alone and that you won't sell or demolish it. You can leave."

"Yes, Lady Hokage."

As Anko left, Tsunade continued.

"Now things get a little more complicated. Two things are the same: each of you inherit 10 millions ryo and to live at the Hatake Estate. The same conditions Anko got apply to you too. And…"

Naruto interrupted. "Wait a second. All that money and permission to live at Hatake Estate? How can that be right? Kakashi-sensei sure as hell didn't have that kind of money or such a house. Otherwise he wouldn't live where he did."

A low chuckle could be heard from the window. "Wrong kid. Kakashi came from an extreme wealthy family. And as the last legal heir of the Hatake clan, he inherits all of the money and the household."

Looking to their left, they saw Jiraiya. Tsunade nodded when she saw Naruto and Sakura's confused faces.

"Before the villages were founded, the clans were used as mercenaries. The two most powerful were the Senju clan which were lead by my grandfather, the First Hokage, and the Uchiha clan lead by Madara Uchiha. However, what most people tend to forget or don't know, is the Hatake clan. Unlike the other clans, they didn't fight. They were travelling salesmen with specialty in weapons and, back then, technology used in war. You didn't found any swords that were better than those made of the Hatake clan. But just because they weren't used as soldiers don't mean they couldn't fight. They could, as both the Senju and Uchiha clan learned the hard way. If I remember correctly, and I only heard it from my grandfather, both clans tried stealing the Hatake clan's secrets. You can possible imagine Sarutobi-sensei's feelings when Kakashi's granddad came and asked if he could join the village. It would be a huge asset to the village to have a Hatake living in it. Kakashi's grandfather was permitted to live in the village. He built the Hatake Estate outside the village. Of course it lies within the walls by now, near the western forests. It is quite huge with a lot of land. The building itself is white and, unlike any other mansions, build in stone and marble. It's kept safe by genjutsu and special ninjutsu; no one will be able to enter without a Hatake's permission or the mansion's current residents. My guess is, when all of his cash from his inheritance alone and house with lands and interior, Kakashi was good for about 150-200 millions ryo. And then comes the small income from missions pay."

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke sat with their mouths reaching the floor. Chuckling slightly at their expressions, Tsunade continued. Although more serious now.

"However, we found out something more slightly disturbing. When Sakura injected that chakra into Hinata, she was brought back to life. Only one clan is known for such powers: The Vampire clan. We got this from the Raikage a couple of days ago." She handed them a second scroll.

"It is Kakashi's family tree. If you go back till about 210 years ago, you see how a woman named Selene 'Vampire' Nica married Sakumanto Hatake, Kakashi's great–great-great-grandfather. Selene was, according to legend and rumours, related to Lycan Vampire. You understand now? Kakashi was the last direct heir of the, most likely, oldest lineage in history. That explains how he survived the battle with the Akatsuki member in the woods, how his attacks were increased in strength, how his chakra brought back Hinata. Of course, since it's so long time ago, the Vampire's Bloodline Limit has probably weakened as it was mixed with the Hatake clan and down to Kakashi through generations. Therefore, it's doubtful if Kakashi's kid would inherit that ability too. Also, since the Vampire clan's power would decrease, I assume that the Nine-Tails chakra helped there too. And no, Kakashi never knew about this."

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto stared at her dumbfounded. On one hand it didn't made any sense, but on the other it did. Then Naruto asked something that had been bothering him for a while.

"I still can't believe Kakashi-sensei was this wealthy. Why would he want to live as a sninobi with all of that? Why would he live in the apartment when he had a mansion? I don't get it. Anyway, what I don't understand is how he could have some of the Nine-Tails chakra."

Jiraiya sighed. "Why he choose the life as a ninja is easy enough: He wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps; or at least did for a while. Why he didn't leave in the estate: Too many bad memories I guess. As for the Nine-Tails' chakra, I think I can answer that."

-Flashback start

SMACK!

Minato stumbled backwards as he was hit square in the face. The one who did it: Kakashi. The teenager was seething with fury.

"Minato-sensei, Lord Hokage: HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR SON? USE ME INSTEAD!"

Slowly getting to his feet, Minato smiled. "I've to do this Kakashi-kun. Trust me… I know what I'm doing."

His words didn't calm Kakashi down. "LIKE HELL! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WILL BE PUTTING YOUR SON THROUGH, HUH? HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO A CHILD, YOU OWN SON NO LESS! HE WILL BE LONELY, SHUNNED FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN'T DO! DO HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW THAT FEELS, HUH? NOW, DO YOUR PREPARATIONS FOR THE SEALING ON ME!"

Minato looked thoughtful, but when they heard the Nine-Tails roar again, he came to a decision.

"All right Kakashi-kun. Off with your shirt. We need to do this quick. But once we are done here, you need to head for the battle field, okay?"

That did it. Kakashi calmed down instantly as he removed his shirt. Minato frowned slightly when he saw some of the old scars but said nothing. Biting his thumb and index, he started drawing signs on Kakashi's chest. Then he spoke in a calm voice. "Sealing jutsu: Guardian of Evil!"

He thrust his right palm into Kakashi's chest, making all the signs move, forming a circle right in the middle of his chest. Pulling his shirt back on and prepared his leave. he spoke calmly, even though he probably soon would face his death.

"Minato-sensei… Pervy Hermit… Old man Third… till we meet again."

Kakashi took off through the window.

Jiraiya, holding a baby with blond hair frowned deeply.

"Minato… you didn't do what I just think you did? That seal…"

Minato rubbed his face as he stood back up. "I did. I will seal some of the Nine-Tails chakra into Kakashi-kun, but I can't seal all of it. The seal is set so that if Kakashi-kun ever comes in contact with the Nine-Tails' chakra again, the part of it in him will begin increasing and he will be able to use it. Of course he won't know this, and I would like it to stay that way. Likewise, people won't be able to see it after an hour or so"

Minato winced when he rubbed a spot beside his nose. "Ouch. Damn, the kid knows how to pack a punch. And he packs it heavy."

At this Jiraiya snorted. "You deserved it. And believe me, if I wasn't holding this kid, I would follow Kakashi-kun's example. Anyway, aside that I and Kakashi are going to be Naruto's guardians, what did you want to tell Sarutobi-sensei and me?"

Minato sighed. "What I'm about to tell you mustn't reach the ears of Danzou, the Elders or Orochimaru. It's about Kakashi's Bloodline Limit."

The Third looked at Minato, puzzled. "What do you mean? They already know about his white chakra."

Minato shook his head. "No, not that. Kakashi… well, he is of a bloodline much older than Uchiha and Senju." Another roar. "I have to go. Promise me you will take care of Kakashi and Naruto okay?"

They nodded and Minato left with Naruto in his arms.

-End flashback-

Jiraiya sighed heavily. "Sarutobi-sensei and I always wondered what the Fourth Hokage meant. It never occurred to us that he referred to the Vampire clan. But back to the Nine-Tails chakra. My guess is that the Fourth Hokage's seal worked as it should; if I remember correctly from the reports, Naruto, during the mission to rescue the Kazekage, you fought one Akatsuki member, right? During that time, you grew two tails. Kakashi suppressed the Nine-Tails' chakra by the seal I gave him. My guess is that it was there the Fourth's seal set to work as some the Nine-Tails' chakra might have touched Kakashi, increasing and refining the Nine-Tails' chakra within Kakashi, enabling Kakashi to use it. And no matter how you look at it, he was a genius, so I guess he figured out what his sensei did."

The teenagers nodded their understanding. Tsunade took the word. "In any case, we need to get going. Kakashi left more for you. But this time he sealed it away by blood sealing."

"Blood sealing?"

Tsunade sighed. How much did those kids need to be taught? "Yes Sakura. Simply put, it's a measure to make sure that no one, aside from the one who is supposed to get the message, can read it"

She handed them a scroll with their names on it. Upon seeing their looks, she gave a small sigh.

"Bite your finger like you would do to summon."

They did as they were told, and as the blood was smeared across their names, one scroll came from the circle beneath each of their names. Or in Naruto's case, two: One green, the other blue..

Tsunade nodded. "You can go now. I'm sure you would want to read it in private."

They nodded and left.

000000

Now back in Kakashi's old apartment, the trio sat down on his bed. They opened their scrolls simultaneously, Naruto the blue one first. They began reading.

_Dear Naruto,_

_When you read this, I will be dead. First I want to tell you how sorry I'm for not being there when you needed me. I failed your father, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and my sensei, as I promised I would protect you. Paying for your food and other necessities weren't enough. Also, I'm sorry that you had such a rough childhood. Jiraiya and I agreed that it would be better that you lived at the orphanage until you could take of yourself. We also decided that it would be better to give you your mother's maiden name, Uzumaki, since your father, Jiraiya and myself had, and still have, a lot of enemies that seek to harm us. We wouldn't want to endanger you anymore. If I had known the full extent of your suffering, I would have adopted you no matter what the Elders and anybody said. While I remember it, your mother was Kushina Uzumaki from the Whirlpool country. Don't go looking for family, the country was destroyed years ago_. _For more information about your father and mother, ask Jiraiya or Tsunade. _ _As you perhaps can figure out by what I said earlier, Jiraiya and I were your guardians. Jiraiya is more. He is your godfather. As Tsunade should have told you by now, you have permission to live in my childhood home, the Hatake Estate. Aside from what I have told you now, I only have one more gift. _

_A contract with my nin-dog. Usually, having two contracts would be considered an insult towards the summons and no of them would come if called upon. However, since you're the first human to sign this contract and are its keeper, no one can object. You will be able to summon both toads and my dogs. Just write your name like you did with the toads, just with the other hand, and you will be able to summon Pakkun and the others. Of course you will have to practise in order to be able to summon them separately or all at once. Oh, and before I forget: All of my belongings in the apartment are to be taken to the estate. There is a basement there for personal stuff. It has been an honour teaching you. Live well._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Kakashi Hatake, guardian, jounin-sensei and hopefully friend. _

Naruto felt tears pool in his eyes yet again, and wiped them away. He took the other scroll and opened it. Quite right, eight names were written across it, with spaces for a human to write his or her name. He bit his left thumb and started writing his name with his left hand. Then he formed seals and slammed his hand onto the floor. "Summoning jutsu!"

Sakura was just done reading her scroll when a shout was heard in the apartment. "Summoning jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke later, and the apartment was suddenly very cramped. Or at least the floor as the eight dogs appeared. Pakkun spoke.

"Yo. What is up Kaka…"

He trailed off when he saw Naruto. "Where is Kakashi?"

Naruto merely removed the headband and opened his left eye. Pakkun sighed.

"So he is dead then and you're now our new master? Well, in that case, what is your command?"

Naruto closed his eyes, before opening the right. "Nothing for now really. I just wanted to see if Kakashi-sensei really was right when he wrote that I would be able to summon you and the toads."

At this all of the dogs growled. Bull voiced their thoughts. "Kakashi knew what he was doing. Don't question that."

Naruto merely nodded. Then Sasuke spoke up. "Pakkun: I have just read what Kakashi-sensei left me. Please answer this: How much did the Uchiha clan resent him for having a Sharingan?"

At this all of the dogs snarled fiercely and raised bristles. Pakkun snarled the most, his contempt and fury evident.

"Resent? Resent? Boy that was the understatement of the year. They loathed him for having it. The exceptions were Itachi, your uncle and aunt, Uruchi and Teyaki. I don't suppose you know this, but it was their son who gave Kakashi the Sharingan in Naruto's left eye when he died. The Uchiha clan tried assassinating him countless times, even after he saved Itachi's life by cutting that lightning bolt with his Chidori. Now, if you don't mind, we will take our leave. Goodbye."

They all stared in shock as the dogs disappeared. Then Sasuke spoke, his voice filled with anger and contempt. "Damn the Uchiha. Damn the Uchiha!"

When he saw his friends faces, he growled as he handed them the paper. "Read."

They read it, they eyes widening.

_Sasuke,_

_If you read this, it means you have returned to the Leaf Village and I'm dead. Except for the money and permission to stay at my childhood home, I have a gift for you. Behind my chest of drawers is there a little room in the wall. In that room you will find a sword. I have forged it according to the Hatake clan's way. The blade will react to your chakra nature when you channel it through the blade. Itachi has one too. I made the sword to you at his request. It was supposed to be a gift or something like that. Another thing I will tell is the truth. The truth about what happened the night Itachi murdered your clan. _

_He wasn't alone. A man called Madara Uchiha helped him. Or rather forced him to. You will probably say that Madara is dead, but I'm afraid he isn't. Madara gave Itachi an ultimatum: Kill the clan or the Leaf Village would perish. Itachi chose to kill the clan; except you. My guess is that he loved you too much and hoped that by making you hate him. You would grow strong enough to take down Madara. I know all of this because I talked with Itachi before he killed them. He made me promise that no matter what happened, I would keep you safe, train you and never tell you about this. But I believe you have the right to know at least some of the truth. The Uchiha planned a coup d'état when Itachi killed them. The only ones who seemed to object against it were your uncle and aunt. In any case, Itachi wanted to spare them so that you wouldn't be completely alone, but Madara killed them as soon as Itachi no longer could stop him. Sasuke, you need to understand that Itachi did what he thought was best for you. That's why he wanted you to hate him and why he fled from the village. He wanted to keep you safe. If you still are hellbent on killing Itachi, so let it be for the right reasons, not revenge. I've seen countless people walk down that path. Not one of them lived and died happy and content. _

_A thing I should mention is that the Uchiha and me never was on really good terms. Especially after my friend gave his Sharingan to me when he was on the brink of death. They claimed I was the one who killed him and took his Sharingan. When the Third closed the matter, they tried killing me instead. Many from your family would protest against this, but it was one with a Sharingan who killed my girlfriend when I was 16-17. But well, I don't want to drag you into the hatred between your clan and me. Live well and think carefully before you choose. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Kakashi Hatake, jounin-sensei_

Naruto and Sakura looked at Sasuke with worried faces. Naruto spoke the teenagers' thoughts.

"So… What are you gonna do, Sasuke?"

Sasuke took a deep contemplative breath before replying. It had been on his mind since he read the scroll the first time around.

"I still want to kill Itachi… but not for revenge. I will kill him because he is a threat to my precious people. I still want to restore my clan, but first I must restore its honour. I will take all of the clan secrets with me and live in the Hatake Estate for a while. Once I have removed everything I want from the Uchiha complex, I want it burned to the ground and rebuild."

He took a calming breath.

"So? Would you come and live with me at the estate? Besides, Sakura: What did Kakashi-sensei leave for you?"

They both nodded that they would be living with Sasuke. At his question about what Kakashi left for her, Sakura blushed. Then she smiled and motioned for them to stand up. Once they were of the bed, Sakura tilted it slightly and asked for the boys to hold it for her. As they complied, Sakura removed a couple planks that had been hidden under the bed and a blanket. She pulled out three items: An old medical bag, a book and a dress. The medical bag was smaller than the standard bag, but it full with herbs, bandages and other thing. The dress was green with blue streaks down the sides. As Sakura held it up in front of her, they saw it would fit her perfectly. She smiled sadly.

"The bag was one he got from his girlfriend on his first mission as commander. The herbs should still be fine. The dress is the one his girlfriend at that time wore on their first date. Kakashi-sensei wrote… that she and I are a lot alike. The book is about alternative healing methods, in case the medic-nin runs low on chakra. Apparently it was a gift from Kakashi to his girlfriend."

The two boys nodded. After a little trouble with the chest of drawers, Sasuke found the room with the sword. The sheath and hilt were black leather decorated with a red thread sewed into it. Unsheathing it, Sasuke found that the blade was perfectly balanced. Putting it back into the sheath, the three friends left the apartment, taking their gifts with them.

-Three days later.-

Naruto stared at the place he was going to live. They had heard of it from the old rookie nine and Team Gai as they had helped them moving their stuff. But Team 7 had yet to see it for themselves. The Hatake Estate was fabulous. As Tsunade had told them, it was built in white stone and marble. The lawns were huge and green with trees here and there, and the estate had a forest on its borders. Both could be used as training grounds. Several marble statues of dogs and wolves surrounded the entire estate, and on the parapet. It was about three storeys tall and had big windows, allowing a lot of sunshine to enter the house itself. He glanced at Sakura. None of them had moved completely out of their former homes. All three teenagers looked over their shoulders: they could see smoke rising from where the Uchiha complex used to be. Naruto looked at his two friends, smiling a little.

"Are you two ready?"

The two others just nodded. Smiling, and shoulder by shoulder they entered their new quarters, life and future. Together.

The End.

Sequel will be up soon


End file.
